


Warrior Princess

by TheWalking100



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Archery, Character Death, Death, F/F, F/M, Mount Weather, Reapers, Royalty, Slow Burn, Wanheda Clarke Griffin
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-13
Updated: 2019-04-24
Packaged: 2019-06-08 13:49:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 26
Words: 97,705
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15244758
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheWalking100/pseuds/TheWalking100
Summary: Clarke is a vigilante, known as Wanheda, who protects the the kingdom of Polis. Lexa is the princess of Polis who has a run in with Wanheda. Their paths keep crossing and they find out that they have the same enemy, the Mountain Men, who are picking off their friends one by one. Clarke struggles to conceal her true identity from Lexa who knows something is up.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have an idea for a story. I may continue it depending on how people respond. This chapter is just kind of a set up for the universe I was thinking.

I jumped from roof to roof with stealth only assassins were known to have. The streets below were lit solely by lanterns that hung from wooden and stone buildings. The moon had risen a couple hours ago and its light cast shadows over alley ways. I used the shadows as my cover as I leapt each gap.

I had to reach the meeting in time so I picked up the pace.

Earlier in the day, Octavia and I had overheard a conversation between two men who were known not to live by the law. We didn't catch the full conversation, only bits and pieces. What we do know is that it involves the royal family.

I have taken the responsibility to keep the streets of Polis and all the good people in it safe. However, some people do not believe that. After all, how could you expect everyone to trust someone with the name Wanheda, Commander of Death. Some say I work as a vigilante of sorts. Others say I'm just a plain murderer. I know the truth. I only take the lives of the guilty if their crimes call for it.

I heard muffled voices from up ahead. I slowed down and silently walked up to the edge of the roof. Using the shadows as my cover, I peered over and saw about a dozen men standing in a darkened alley. I focused my hearing.

"This is the biggest target we have had yet. You can't afford to mess this up."

"We won't. We have everything planned out. It's simple, just after the fork in the road, we send out a decoy to distract the royal guards. Then we ambush them and rob 'em blind. It's as simple and old as can be."

"That's the problem. It is too predictable... And what if Wanheda shows up?"

"There is a reason bandits and thieves still use the technique. It still works, and I assure you Wanheda won't be a problem. I have extra men with me just in case. There is no way one person can overpower this many men. Don't worry. We will be rich by the end of the day tomorrow. That damn Collins family doesn't need their charity anyway."

"If you are wrong, I'm sure Wanheda will take care of you for me."

One of the dark figures pushed through the group of men and continued down the alley and out of sight. Someone let out a nervous chuckle. "Bastard doubting my skills. We've been at this for years. Wanheda hasn't come for us yet. Come on, we have some preparations to take care of." The rest left.

They planned on robbing the royal family. Clearly at least one of the royals was traveling tomorrow. I have to be sure to follow their carriage. In the mean time, I need to return to our hideout, Arkadia. I left the main village and made my way to Skaikru territory through the woods. Arkadia was setup on the border of Skaikru boundaries where not many people go due to the knowledge that Wanheda hangs around there a lot.

The trees began to get thicker which meant I was getting closer. There was a tiny burrowed hole through a thick bush. I made my way though it and came out to a clearing that held multiple wood buildings and some tents. It backed up to a rocky cliff. Even though it was in the middle of the night, the small village was still alive. It used to have slightly more life when there were a hundred of us. We are down to forty something now, thanks to the mountain men, but that is a problem for another time. Right now I need to find my team.

A voice from my right called for me. "Clarke, you're back. Come on. We're waiting for you." Raven gestured to a massive tent toward the right corner of camp.

I followed her and walked through the tent flaps. Bellamy, Harper, Monty, Jasper, and Octavia were waiting around a big circular table.

Bellamy spoke up first. "Well, what are we in for?"

I replied, "It appears to be a simple robbing. The only difference is that it targets the royals. There were about a dozen men present at the meeting, but I doubt that was all of them. They plan to put out a decoy, not sure what their choice decoy is. So we'll have to keep our eyes peeled. I plan on following the royal carriage the whole way. I believe their destination is the residence of the noble family, the Collins. There is a fork in the road about half the distance between the castle and their destination. We will set up along the left side of the fork."

"Bell and I will cover the trees," Octavia volunteered. I nodded in reply.

"Jasper, Harper, and I will cover the ground," came from Monty.

I turned to Raven to see what she would volunteer to do. A crooked grin grew on her face. "I can make things go boom."

"Great. We leave just before the break of dawn." I looked at everyone to make sure we were all good to go. That is the good thing about this group. We all work so naturally well together. We communicate well and most of the time don't need to formulate elaborate plans. Everything flows smoothly. 

Normally I work alone, but the target being the royal family calls for more than just me. It is mostly a safety precaution.

We all left the tent to get a couple hours of rest.

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I put on my gear which consists of a form fitting suit. It is mostly black that has some earthy colors placed throughout it. There is a vest that blends into the whole suit that allows me to strap in hidden blades. A hood completes the look. 

I strapped on my hidden blade compartments that wrap around my forearms. Thanks to Raven's great engineering, they hold retractable blades. She also made a belt that can transform into a bow. I next placed my quiver on my back and then put on my face paint. I blackened my eyes out and drew a thick line out to my temple. I brought the line harshly down along the outside of my face and finished with a point. I connected another thick line under my eye and moved toward the outside of my face. I stopped midway between the outer line I drew and my nose. I made another thick point that went down my cheek and was slightly shorter than the other.

I then made my way to the castle.

It was a massive structure that's surrounded by stone wall. The main gate had the royal crest, a gear, resting across it. Royal guards moved about on top of it through the watch towers. The castle itself was a stone fortress with some older parts being made of wood. A big plot of land, that ran at least a mile in each direction, separated it from the stone wall. Beyond the wall was an equally as big clearing that ended at a forest.

I waited for the royal carriage along the tree line, outside of the castle walls. I had gotten their right as the sun fully came over the horizon. That had been about two hours ago. So I found myself lying high on a tree branch hoping the castle gates would let out a carriage soon.

Another hour went by when finally the gates opened and the royal carriage began its journey. I got up and crouched on the branch. My way of trailing is using the trees. I transition from tree to tree smoothly and silently, using the shadows and the natural movement of the leaves to cover me.

I had been trailing for almost an hour and knew that the fork had to be coming up soon. I constantly scanned my surroundings looking for any scouts or bandits set up. Not soon after did I catch a movement in a tree across from me. I paused to get a better look. Sure enough, it was a scout, probably on their way back to report the royals' whereabouts. 

I went ahead of the carriage and followed them, knowing the ambush would be coming up. Again, I stopped because their decoy came into view. It seemed to be an a man lying along the side of the road. He was probably going to pose as injured.

I searched the trees and caught sight of Octavia a few trees ahead of me. I looked more and saw Bellamy on the opposite side perched on a branch. Monty, Harper, and Jasper hid in bushes on either side of the road. Raven was no where to be found, but I trusted that she was where she needed to be.

I made a signaling bird call to let everyone know they were approaching. Turning my attention to my left, I saw the royals coming. The carriage was surrounded by four royal guards, each on horseback. Two more sat in front of the carriage with one holding the reigns of the horses. It was still unknown how many royals occupied the inside of the carriage.

The decoy began his acting. He screamed for help, pretending that his leg was hurt. 

The guards immediately took notice and came to a stop. One got off his horse and slowly went up to the man.

I searched the area to look for movement that didn't belong to my friends. My gaze caught an archer that was an impressive distance away from where the attack would take place. They were aiming at one of the guards trailing behind the carriage. Another archer appeared, who aimed at the guard parallel to the first one. They were going to silently take out the back two guards to get a better advantage. 

I made a bird call to grab Octavia's attention. I motioned with my hands for her to spot the archers. She did. She looked back to me and motioned that she would strike the one closest to her.

I ripped my belt off and it instantly snapped into a bow. I knocked an arrow and took aim. We simultaneously let our arrows fly, both hitting their target. Both archers fell from the trees with a loud thump onto the road. It caught the guards attention. They realized what was about to happen. One of them yelled, "It's an ambush!" That's when all hell broke loose.

Bandits charged from the bushes and dropped from trees. Their numbers were tripled from what was originally scouted. That shouldn't be a problem though. Bellamy grabbed my attention with a quick whistle. He motioned for me to stay put. I didn't question it, trusting him.

Explosions suddenly went off on either sides of the road. Many bandits went flying and a few stayed motionless. At least I know Raven is around.

We all dropped from the trees and came out of hiding, engaging in combat. Octavia had two men approach her. She side stepped a punched and pulled on his arm, sending him to me. As he was still stumbling forward, I kicked my foot out and swept his leg from under him. He landed on his face where I finished him off with one of my retractable daggers. I stood up, looking for my next target.

"DUCK!"

I did as directed and watched as Raven fired an arrow from the bushes. It buried itself into a bandits torso, then exploded. That's new.

I heard a battle cry come from my left and saw two bandits charging me. I threw a dagger and it buried itself into one's throat. I ran to the carriage, jumped up, and kicked off its side. With the same leg, I threw a kick. My foot connected with the second bandit's face. He fell to the ground, but quickly recovered and returned a punch. I easily blocked it. His other hand that carried a dagger, aimed straight for my throat. I ducked under his arm and pushed my shoulder under his arm pit. I gripped his arm that held the dagger and used my momentum to throw him over my shoulder. He landed on the ground with dirt flying up around him. Putting my knee on his chest to keep him still, I slit his throat. 

In my peripheral, I saw an archer take aim me. He shot the arrow. I caught the arrow inches from my chest and knocked the same arrow on my bow, shooting it back. It instantly killed him.

Taking in my surroundings, I noticed that the guards were being overwhelmed. Jasper and Monty joined Raven in making and shooting explosive arrows to down some men. Octavia was occupied by a couple bandits. Then I saw a more pressuring problem. A bandit had made it to the carriage. He was trying to break open the door.

"Bell! Harper! Help the guards!"

I ran to the carriage, but before I could get there the door flew open, followed by a heeled boot. The sudden opening of the door knocked the bandit down. Out came Princess Alexandria of Polis, with a sword in hand. The bandit rushed to his feet and unsheathed his sword. She fought like the most elegant knight there ever was. Her movements where fluid. Her long dress flowed with every motion. The whole sight could only be described as majestic. She easily blocked every attack he attempted. Soon a second bandit joined in, which didn't seem to be a problem for her.

I couldn't help but stand there, watching in aw. She blocked a high attack and spun, stretching out her sword so it sliced across the second bandits stomach. Continuing through the motion, she swept the other bandits leg from underneath him. Then stabbed her sword through his torso.

Breaking out of my staring spell, I noticed the sound of fighting had died down. Looking around, I saw we defeated them all. A couple of the guards were injured, but didn't sustain any fatal wounds.

A small movement from above caught my attention. There was another archer. He didn't look like he belonged with the bandits. He was higher in the trees than they were, completely decked out in all black. There were markings on his face that labeled him as an assassin. He was aiming at the princess. Before I could react, he let the arrow go. I ran for her as fast as my legs could carry. I reached out in front of her. The arrow struck my shoulder. I let out a grunt. I broke the end of it off, leaving the arrow head in. With almost inhuman speed, I took out my bow and shot an arrow. He dropped from the tree.

Suddenly my vision started becoming blurry. As the realization struck, my stomach dropped. The arrow was poisoned.

Bellamy noticed my wobbling steps and ran to me. Raven threw down a metal ball that leaked out smoke to cover our escape.

Bellamy picked me up and ran through the woods towards our hideout, with the rest following. I watched the tree branches fade in and out. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened. I knew that I had to keep fighting. After all, how could I live up to the name, Commander of Death, when I can't even control my own time.

Everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one lacks a little action, but gives a bit of background info. It's a little funny too.

The sound of a hammer pounding metal filled my ears. I wiped the sweat off my forehead. Placing the hammer down, I lifted the sword inspecting it. Finding it to my satisfaction, I placed it into water. Steam filled the air, along with the clash of noise that comes when a hot sword meets cool water.

I was breathing a little heavy and Raven took notice. "You should rest. Your body hasn't fully recovered from the poison."

It was only a couple days ago when I woke up in our healing tent. Bellamy was looking over me. "Welcome back, Princess."

I tried sitting up but was stopped by pain throughout my whole body. I groaned and fell back. “Here.” Bellamy grabbed my hand and had a supportive hold behind my shoulder.

He sat me up and handed me water. “You had us a little scared. Only a little.” He held his fingers up with a very small space in between.

I let out a chuckle. “Good thing people were only a little scared. I wouldn’t want me dying to worry them too much.”

“Well, we knew you would make it through.” He held a gentle smile that just touched his eyes.

I was bedridden for the rest of that day, and the next. I couldn’t stand being bedridden any longer. So, the next day, with many protests from Bellamy, I came back to the blacksmith shop to do some "light" work.

A loud clang rang out as Raven set down a heavy piece of steel, probably for whatever new project she was working on.

I made my way to the front door. "I just need some food and I'll be good to go. I shouldn’t be long. Do you want anything?"

“Just something light. I can’t think as well when I’m too full.” She began working on breaking apart the steel.

I walked out and was greeted by a busy village. Mothers and children walked down the streets with baskets of food in hand. Merchants were trying to sell various things. Some people walked hand in hand toward a large lake that was not too far. Children kicked and chased a ball around causing a ruckus.

That ruckus happened to come my way. The ball rolled at my feet and came to a stop. The kids stopped, looking at me expectantly. I couldn’t disappoint, so I grabbed the ball between my feet and moved it behind my leg. With a little jump, I kicked it with my heel and it flew over my head where I caught it with my other foot.

Whispered words and noise of amazement escaped their mouths. One made a move to try to steal it. I was faster and kicked it back into the air over him. I went through the next kid’s legs. One boy ran along my side and I passed to him. Another boy went to try to stop him, but he passed back to me. A cart being wheeled across the street suddenly filled my vision as it cut me off. A girl came up on my right and I passed to her. I hurdled the cart, barely grazing it. As soon as my feet hit the ground, the rest of my body collided with someone. I looked up to see the little girl kick the ball and it soared into an empty crate which was used as a makeshift goal.

My team cheered and then took notice of me and proceeded to laugh at my situation. Which reminded me, I was still in that situation. I looked down to see a women with long brown curly hair underneath me. Realizing that she seemed to be wearing a rather expensive dress, I came to the conclusion that she was of higher class. The guards lifting me up by the arms was also another good indicator.

I slowly began to freak out. My words came out rushed. "I'm so sorry my lady! Are you ok? I was so stupid and shouldn't have been running around like that. I should've been looking where I was going. Please don't press charges." As all this was coming out of my mouth, I went to help her up. She swatted my hand away and her guards helped her up instead.

As she was getting up she said, "Try 'your highness'. It fits my title a bit more accurately." My shoulders crept their way to my ears and my face reddened. She continued, "You may look older, but seeing as your mental age is young, I will not punish you. After all, who am I to start more commotion than there needs to be when it is only my first day here."

I chose to ignore the insult as relief flooded me. "Oh my gosh, thank you! I will remember your generosity and It will never happen again, your highness" I bowed my head to her.

"Very good." She and her guards disappeared into the crowd of people. A breath of relief escaped my mouth. 

I heard chuckling behind me. I turned to see the kids I was playing with still laughing at me. "Hey, thanks, by the way. You guys left me to deal with that by myself."

A smirking boy spoke up. "Sorry miss, but that was too bad of a situation to get stuck in. It was much more entertaining as a bystander." They started laughing again.

I couldn't help but laugh along with them. I guess I'm apart of the occasional ruckus of the village. "Yeah. It was pretty ridiculous. I don't blame you." They each gave me a high five for having to deal with that. Then I continued my original quest to find food.

A small stand filled mainly with bread and some fruit, stood with a man indulging in a book. I walked to it.

“Jaha! How have you been?” I peered over the fruit on display.

He looked up and recognition lit his eyes. He placed his book down. “Clarke, hello. The business has been running a little slow, but other than that, I have been good. What about you?”

Not mentioning that I was fighting for my life a few days ago, I replied, “I’ve felt better, but it’s nothing that I can’t get through.”

He nodded. “Is there anything I can get you? I know that my bread is you and your friends’ favorite.”

I gave him a smile. “You are definitely right about that. Although, I won’t be asking for much today. I don’t have a lot of money these days. Just one baguette and a couple apples.” He began baking and I waited silently.

I held a handful of silver coins in my hand. I used to have a lot more money, as in I was rich. Not only was I rich, I was a noble, a lady. That all changed when the Mountain Men came. They destroyed the Griffin household and took my parents from me. I was able to escape. They still look for me today. Luckily that was a while ago, so I look different from when they last saw me. Even though they never knew my name, I dropped my noble name to blend into society. However, my family wasn’t the only one they ruined. All those who found themselves orphaned or alone because of the Mountain Men take refuge in Arkadia. This is where most of my money went into. I founded Arkadia with Bellamy. Now I work as a blacksmith apprentice under Marcus Kane, who is now the adult figure for Arkadia. He makes sure things run smoothly. He is more of a father figure to us.

My thoughts were broken by Jaha handing me my bread and apples. “Thank you. I’m sure more of my friends will be by soon to pick up the business.” 

“I look forward to it.” I paid him and made my way back to the shop.

I opened the door to find Raven nowhere in sight. “Raven, I come bearing food.” A loud thud sounded from a table in the back right corner.

“Son of a…”  Raven appeared, rubbing the back of her head. 

“Get too excited?”

“Yeah…” she replied with a sheepish smile. After she recovered from her embarrasment she asked, “So what did ya bring?"

“I have obtained bread and apples from Jaha’s.”

“Yeeeessssss. I love Jaha’s bakery.” We went out back to eat. The blacksmith shop has a decent grass clearing behind it where we can conveniently test new weapons. A few targets and stuffed dummies layed around. There was a table and chairs to our left where we sat down to eat.

I started the conversation. “So what are you working on?” 

“I’m trying to modify the explosive arrows so that we can carry them around charged and ready without worrying about being blown up. It took too much time to charge them when we were fighting. I’m thinking if I somehow create separate chambers to hold each component and then somehow ignite it on impact, it could work.” She shoved a giant piece of bread into her mouth.

“You never cease to amaze me, Raven.” I said taking a bite of my apple.

“Speaking of that fight, any leads on the assassin?”

I pursed my lips. “No. Bellamy and Octavia went back to the sight to find the body, but by the time they got there it was gone. Someone clearly wants the Princess dead and they are smart enough to cover their tracks.” Although, after watching the princess give a royal ass kicking, I think whoever wants her dead will run once they realize who they are truly dealing with.

“What if the robbery was only a front? Whoever organized it could have used it as a distraction while they attempted to assassinate her.” We had both stopped eating at this point due to our brains working in overdrive to think of theories.

“Or what if whoever wanted to kill her has no association with the bandits and intended to frame them?” I hate not knowing. I’m the one that is supposed to know everything that is going on in Polis. I’m its eyes and ears. However, not very often does something surprise me. It is incredibly frustrating. The only thing that normally blind sides me is the Mountain Men… It couldn’t be them. There’s no reason for them to go after her. She doesn’t have Skaikru blood.

Raven stopped my rambling thoughts. “It is the only lead we’ve got. I think it is worth looking in to.”

“Alright. We’ll pay him a visit.”

  
  
  


  
  



	3. Chapter 3

I looked down at the blackened figure below me walking down an abandoned alley. Looking back at a hooded Raven, I nodded.

We dropped down behind the figure. He didn’t hear us. I got his attention. “Plot to kill the royal princess recently?”

He turned around to find the owner of the voice, but what he saw was an empty alley. He faced forward again only to come face to face with me. “Boo.” He jumped with fright and my hands were instantly gripping the clothes on his chest. I pushed him against the closest wall.

The moonlight that shined down the street reflected off his bald head. His eyes searched my shadowed face. Even though he couldn't make out any features, he knew who I was. “Wanheda. To what do I owe the pleasure?”

I pushed my cloth filled fists into his chest more. “An attempt was made on the princess’s life during your little heist. What do you have to do with it?”

He spoke through his gritted yellow teeth. “Absolutely nothing. I don’t know what you’re talking about.” His thick brown mustache twitched.

I pushed my retractable blade out and held it to his throat. “You’re lying. Are you the one that sent the assassin?”

“I don’t even have enough money to hire an assassin. I would have if you hadn’t intervened when those idiots were at work. Knew I shouldn’t have trusted them. Idiots probably had trouble remembering their own names.” His eyes kept darting over my face waiting for my next move.

I pushed my blade harder into his throat drawing a little blood. “You may have not hired the assassin, but you do know something about it.”

A smirk appeared on his face. “I wouldn’t be smirking. Don’t forget who has you pinned to a wall,” I said threateningly.

“How could I? The great Wanheda who runs all around Polis trying to make a perfect kingdom. For what? Perhaps making up for some mistake they made in the past. Maybe they truly do want to rid this place of crime and serve justice or perhaps they just like the feeling of commanding death. They like the way the emotion fades from a person’s face when life leaves them and the smell and feel of blood. They like to choose who lives and who dies. They have a God complex. Perhaps Wanheda is only a murderer who makes up the excuse that they are making the world better. When in reality, they are addicted to killing and will do anything to appease themselves.” His grin grew bigger.

Anger swelled in my chest. I held in the urge to punch him. Instead I pulled him from the wall and slammed him back into it. I pinned him again, this time lifting him a good six inches off the ground. “This is the last time I will ask nicely. What do you know about the assassin?”

One second I was holding up a man that held an angry glare at me. The next, I was holding a lifeless body with an arrow sticking out of his head. I dropped him to the ground, backing away with shock.

“Clarke!” Raven said in a hushed panicked voice.

I immediately looked in the direction Raven was facing. In the middle of the street was a hooded figure holding a bow. Another assassin. They rested the bow at their side and stood there for a few seconds. They turned and casually walked off to the left out of sight behind a building. I took off in a sprint after them with Raven right behind me.

We turned the corner around the building to find no assassin. I looked up and spotted a foot just going over top the roof. “There!” I pointed to where I just saw the foot.

“I’ll try to cut them off!” came from Raven as she continued to run down the street.

I climbed up the wall. When I reached the top, the assassin was making their first leap to the next building. I followed.

We jumped from roof to roof. I never lost sight of them. Raven crossed under us at one point. I picked up my speed and began closing in.

They went to jump to the next roof and so did I, not a second later. I caught them midair. We both went out of control and prepared for our landing. As soon as we landed, the roof gave away. We crashed through to the ground, the debris falling all around us. The room was empty and the only light given was by a couple burning candles that hung from the part of the ceiling we didn’t cave in. The walls of entire room were covered by shelves of various different types of candles.

Raven came crashing through the window.

The assassin and I recovered and stood up. Raven and I squared up to them. We circled each other for what seemed like forever. Raven stood on one side while I stood on their other. They were the first to attack. They tried for a high hook kick at my head that I easily ducked under. Raven went to attack as they recovered from their kick.

She landed a kick straight into their exposed back and they went stumbling into me. I pushed them back.

Clearly this assassin was a good shot but not a good fighter. That's strange because normally an assassin is well trained in every aspect of combat. Why wouldn't they be a good fighter?

I then took in their stance and noticed many openings and vulnerabilities. I went for one, as they threw a punch at me. I grabbed their wrist and threw their arm over my shoulder bringing them close to me. I swept my leg behind theirs and with my free hand, pushed it against their chest. They instantly fell.

Raven immediately dropped on top of them trying to pin them down. Maybe they couldn't fight well, but they sure knew how to thrash around. I dropped to help her.

Suddenly, a gust of wind came through the room. It blew the candles out, extinguishing our only light. The room was now pitch black.

Raven and I continued to wrestle the assassin down. By some will of magic, or what can only be described as magic, the candles lit back up.

“What?” said Raven.

I looked back down to where the assassin was suppose to be, only to find that Raven and I where wrestling ourselves. No assassin was found. Confusion crossed my face “How?”

Raven then noticed our situation. “Where did… Ow… that was you twisting my knee?” She pulled her leg from my grasp. “What just happened?”

“We were just outsmarted by an assassin for the first time ever,” I replied.

Raven kicked a beam of wood a few feet. “Is this how we make other people feel? This feeling sucks.”

***

“That was a massive waste of time,” I said as threw my retractable blades onto a table in the center of the blacksmith shop.

“Not entirely,” Raven said trying to be optimistic.

“What do you mean? All we know is that baldy knew something about the assassin, but we don’t know what that something is. To top that off, we have some mysterious assassin that is horrible at fighting but can magically disappear and magically light candles.” I was frustrated to say the least.

“And an arrow that belongs to said assassin,” Raven said.

“What?” I looked to her and she was holding up an arrow. "Raven, you are amazing."

Sometimes there are very small hints in the way assassins’ weapons are crafted that can clue you in on what clan they are from.

I anxiously grabbed the arrow to inspect it. The arrow shaft was a normal wood, but the head was not. It was made of some weird patchy metal that I had never seen before. It almost looked black, but it wasn’t. It was the darkest shade of red.

“What kind of metal is this?” I said wanting Raven expert opinion.

“I have no idea. I’ve never seen it before. It doesn’t even look like it was melted down. It looks like someone just attached two pieces of metal together and sharpened it. Why is it red?” Raven brought it closer to her face to inspect it more.

Who would have an arrow like this? It couldn’t be the Mountain Men. This is not their style of fighting. They use reapers, not assassins.

“We should show Kane in the morning,” suggested Raven. I nodded in agreement.

Something bad is coming. I can feel it.


	4. Chapter 4

It was early in the morning. The sun had just fully came up. The shop had not opened yet and Kane, Raven, and I were huddled around a table with the mysterious arrow placed in the center. We had filled Kane in on everything that had happened the night before.

With just one initial look, Kane could tell that this arrow did not belong to any of the clans in the coalition. “I have never seen this type of arrow. It’s very peculiar... and you say that the assassin had little fighting skill?”

Raven responded, “No. He had no balance and a lot of vulnerabilities. He had no trouble shooting an arrow through a man’s head though.”

“Hmmmmm…” Kane scratched his beard, holding a puzzled expression. “Maybe it’s an outcast, no clan, getting a hold of any material possible to forge an arrow.”

“So we are back to square one with no leads. This person was not aiming at either Raven or I. He used one shot to kill the thief and walked away. The only person that could answer why someone wanted him dead is the deadman himself and he also had information on the assassin that clearly someone did not want getting out.” I leaned on the table and hung my head down. I let out a sigh. “Can you tell Bell and Octavia to make a few extra rounds around the village and keep an eye out for anything suspicious?”

Kane readily obliged. “Of course.”

I stared at the arrow so hard that I could burn holes through it. I picked it up to inspect it one more time. I brought the arrow head close to my face. Wait… What is that smell? I inhaled deeply trying to get a better scent. It had a bitter smell that could be described as wicked. My eyes watered and it felt like my nose hairs singed and burned away. It didn’t smell like any poison I was familiar with.

I pulled it away from my face. “Did you guys smell this?”

Raven took it from my hand. She smelled it and immediately retracted away. “Woah! What on earth? That’s horrid.”

She handed it to Kane so he could smell. His face scrunched up. “Normal arrows definitely do not smell like that. Raven, do you recognize the poison?”

Kane went to hand the arrow back to Raven, but she stepped away from it. “That is like no poison I have ever smelled.”

The confusion on Kane’s face deepened. “I’m going to take this back to Arkadia and ask Jasper and Monty for their expertise. In the meantime, you two get to work on our orders.”

***

Raven and I had been working for hours to finish the days orders. We only took a brief break to eat. Raven had already finished her portion of the work. Now she was back to working on her explosive arrows. She was working close to my right. I was just finishing up sharpening an axe. Sparks were flying all around me. 

“Shit! Clarke, we need to get out of here.” Raven grabbed my arm.

I stopped sharpening the axe and lifted my eye protection. I turned to her with a confused expression. “Why…” A cup filled with something Raven must've been working with had smoke escaping out of it. That’s not good.

I pushed Raven toward the door. Before we could even take three steps, it made a small explosion. We crouched to the ground. I held my arm up to shield my face. Debris of the cup flew at us. Smoke filled the room and made it hard to see. Raven ran into the door with a thud and then opened it. We came stumbling out coughing, covered in ash. Smoke wafted out after us in a rush to be dispersed into the air.

“A spark flew into the cup,” explained Raven.

“I’ve told you a million times not to put your stuff near anything that can potentially ignite it. I mean really, Raven, haven’t we been through this enough.” This is not the first time something like this has happened. I tried to control my coughing.

Someone cleared their throat to our left. We looked over.

It was Kane, but not just Kane. He had company. Beside him was unmistakably Princess Alexandria. She, however, was not what kept my attention. I was focused on the third person. Just my luck. Next to the Princess of Polis was the princess I had run into a couple days ago. I hope she didn’t recognize me or even better, by some miracle, didn’t remember what had transpired between us. I felt my face start to heat up.

They were accompanied by a couple guards.

Kane stepped forward. “Clarke. Raven. Welcome Princess Alexandria and Princess Costia.”

We both bowed. “Your highnesses.” Raven let out a cough.

Kane gestured to us. “This is Raven and this is Clarke.” He turned to us. “They would like to use our services so don’t keep them waiting any longer.” He made his way to the back door, but stopped right next to us and lowered his voice. “You guys are going to clean that mess up when you’re done.” He disappeared inside the shop.

Princess Alexandria stepped forward. “We would like some arrows forged.”

I had never been so close to the princess. She was only a few feet away. I could make out every detail. She had long wavy brown hair that was pinned back on top. Her full lips were a light shade of pink and held an amused grin. Her cheekbones were high and perfect. The best part of her features were her bright green eyes. They reminded me of the forest I had grown up in. Right now they held a kind and curious emotion, but I knew they were capable of turning so fierce and threatening that grown men probably ran at the sight of them. She was absolutely beautiful. It took my breath away.

I realized I had been silent for far too long. I cleared my throat. “Er… uh… what kind of arrows would you like? We have many different styles that originate from all clans.”

“I don’t know if I would trust her to make them. She’ll probably fall and hurt herself or someone else while she’s at it.” Princess Costia’s eyes were fixed on me. She stood there with her arms crossed. Her brown curly hair ended just past her shoulders. She had hazel eyes that refused to leave mine. She was pretty beautiful, but didn’t come anywhere near Princess Alexandria.

She definitely has not forgotten. A small fear crept up in me that she would not be so generous this time around. I wouldn’t be surprised if she decided to punish me now for running into her.

“What has gotten into you, Costia?” Princess Alexandria turned to her.

“She’s the one who rudely tackled me in the middle of the village the other day. What kind of blacksmith runs around town wreaking havoc with children?” Her face drowned in annoyance.

“I am truly sorry about that. I didn’t see you until after it happened. There was a cart of fruit in the way after all.” I looked the ground and clenched my hands behind me. I could hear Raven struggling to hold her laugh in.

Princess Alexandria was in a similar state. Biting down on her lip, she turned to Princess Costia. “Calm down Costia. It was an accident and it is past us.”

Princess Costia responded with an exasperated sigh.

Princess Alexandria turned her attention back to me. “We’d like thirty Trikru arrows each.”

I nodded. “Of course. You can wait at this table here. It shouldn’t be too long.” I looked back to the smoking shop. “Hey Ray, you happen to create any smoke filtering masks yet.”

She shook her head. “That is what cloth is for.” She took out a piece of cloth and tied it around her nose and mouth. I followed.

We went to work. Arrows were one of the more simple weapons we make, so it didn’t take too long.

As we were finishing the arrows, Raven asked, “So, that’s the lovely princess you barrelled into. That had to be fun. You didn’t tell me how passive aggressive she is.”

I let out a breathy laugh. “Yeah… just my luck. Nothing is going right for us these days.”

“Not true,” she said. “You and that green eyed beauty seemed to be exchanging longing looks. Go for her.”

“What? No. She a princess. I’m a blacksmith.” I looked at Raven like she grew two heads.

“No. You’re a noble.” I slapped my hands over her mouth.

I looked at her seriously and in a hushed voice said, “You know not to speak of that anywhere other than Arkadia.”

She tore my hands off her mouth and revealed a smirk. “Come on. Let’s go give the passive aggressive princess her arrows.”

We gathered the arrows and brought them outside. We placed them on the table in front of them.

“Here you go ladies. You’re lucky that you had ol’ Clarkey and I whip these up. You won’t get better quality arrows anywhere.” I elbowed Raven in the ribs to make her stop.

Princess Costia raised an eyebrow. “Is that so? I’ll be the judge of that.”

Raven’s smirk grew. “I thought you’d say that. I made a few extra arrows for you to try out.” She pulled the arrows from her belt and placed them on the table.

Princess Costia turned to one of the guards. “Fetch my bow from the carriage.”

He left to the carriage and returned a minute later with a wooden bow.

The princess lined up in front of a target. She took aim, pulled the arrow back, and let it go. It hit right on the line that separated the bullseye from the rest of the target.

She shot another one. This one landing right below the first one just making it in the bullseye. She shot a couple more which landed close to the other two.

She turned to Raven and I. “They’re good, but I don’t see what makes them stand out from other arrows.”

“That’s because you aren’t using them to their full potential. With more advanced shots you can tell a difference. C’mon Clarke, show them.” Raven handed me an arrow and pulled my bow out of nowhere.

Sneaky Raven. That’s her plan. She wants me to knock the smugness out of the princess.

“I don’t think I should.” I looked at Princess Costia unsure. If I show her up, she will fully hate my guts forever and probably not hesitate to punish me in some way. It would be great, though, to show her up. I could show her that I’m not always a clumsy human being at the same time.

“No, please. Go right ahead.” The smirk on her face made my decision easy.

I grabbed my bow and three arrows. I tucked two into my belt and placed one on my bow. I took aim and shot. I quickly grabbed the second and shot and then the third. The first one landed high, half the distance between the edge of the target and the bullseye. The second one hit dead center and the third hit low, halfway in between the edge and the bullseye.

I walked back over to the table.

“Great precision,” said Princess Costia sarcastically.

I didn’t respond and picked up three more arrows. This time I strung all three at one time. I let them fly. Each one hit their target. They split down the middle of each of the first three arrows I shot.

I looked to the princess with a smirk. “Thanks.”

She looked mad. I knew that I just added another person that hates me to my list. “Come on Lexa. Let’s go.” She turned and walked off. One guard followed her. The other stayed with Princess Alexandria. The guard was a tall woman with high cheekbones and light brown hair that was almost blonde. She looked like she was trying not to laugh. She gathered the arrows and put them into an empty quiver.

Princess Alexandria turned her attention to me. “I’m sorry about her. She is really nice if you get to know her, but I don’t think running into her helped your case. By the way, that was an impressive skill. I believe it did a good job at humbling her or at least I hope. She can sometimes get a big head.”

I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah… I don’t think she’ll ever really like me and thank you. I’m sure you are just as skilled with a bow.”

A smile graced her lips. “Maybe I’ll show you one day.”

I gulped. “I’d be honored. You are welcomed here any time.”

“It was nice to meet you both. I’ll certainly be back to purchase some more of your specially crafted arrows.” She looked to Raven on the last few words. Then she left with her guard behind her.   
  



	5. Chapter 5

It has been almost two weeks since the horrid stench had been discovered on the arrow. Kane had given it to Monty and Jasper, who specialize in poisons. Of course, we do not stoop so low and resort to poison. They deconstruct poisons and are able to create anecdotes, in case any of us are ever poisoned. 

I had just arrived at Arkadia in search of Monty and Jasper to hopefully get some answers. I had already checked their tent to find it empty. I passed the sparring pit where Fox and Harper were battling with swords, in an even fight. To my left there was a small group of people at the edge by the trees returning from hunting. They each held onto a rope the was tied around a panther that hung in the middle of them. They headed in the direction of our butcher building. I spotted Wells slightly to my right, chopping firewood. 

“Hey Wells.” I approached him as he brought his axe down on a large chunk of wood.

I have known Wells for a few years. He wasn’t orphaned like the rest of us. His mom had fallen to the Mountain Men, but his father still lives. In fact, his father is Thelonious Jaha who owns Arkadia’s favorite bakery. Wells joined us to help with the Mountain Men.

He looked up and smiled at me. “Hey Clarke, fully recovered from that poison I hope?” He rested the axe and his foot on the tree stump on which he was chopping wood. He crossed his arms and leaned on the axe handle.

“Yes, thanks to Monty and Jasper. Speaking of which, have you seen them around?” I took a quick glance around to see if I could catch a glimpse of them.

“Yeah. They just walked up toward the tree line, probably to eat some jobi nuts.” He shook his head in an amused way, pointing toward the area where the hunters had just come out of.

“My dad has been wondering where you’ve been. He hasn’t seen you lately and I feel the same way. You haven’t been around as much. I’d like to catch up soon.” 

“I know. I’m sorry. I’ve been extra busy lately. We all have. Things are stirring up and I don’t like it. I feel like something big is going to happen.” I truly felt bad. Wells and I had become very good friends over the years. He was someone I hung out with often, but lately I haven’t been able to find the time between acting as a normal Polis blacksmith and being Wanheda. The events that have taken place in this past month have really dampened my social life. My free time is now taken up by the same questions everyday regarding the assassins and I don’t come any closer to having answers. 

“No, it’s okay. I get it. I just want you to remember that no matter how chaotic things get, don’t forget to focus on what you need. I notice how you put everyone else’s need above your own, which is the amazing thing about you, but you need to help yourself every now and then. Give yourself a break every once in a while so that you can be one hundred percent for the next person you help. I’d like to help you in anyway that I can and I think I could help by getting your mind off things.” He looked at me with respect and a little bit of concern.

It was true. I don’t give myself enough thought, and when I do it’s because someone else usually makes me. “Thanks, Wells. I really appreciate it. You’re right. How about later this week we can help your dad bake?” We often baked together. It is surprisingly enjoyable. It makes me forget all my worries. 

“That sounds perfect. Now go find Jasper and Monty. You seemed determined to find them and I don’t want to stand in your way any longer.” His repositioned his axe over his shoulder.

I nodded and smiled. “I’ll see you around.” Then I headed in the direction he pointed earlier.

It wasn’t hard to find them. When they don’t try to be stealthy, they might as well scream, begging for danger to find them. They laughed loudly and seemed to step on every branch and leaf they could possibly step on. I walked up silently behind them and grabbed both their shoulders firmly, making them jump.

“Jeez Clarke! What’ wrong with you?” Monty said as he shrugged my hand off him.

Laughing, I replied, “A lot of things.”

“I don’t disagree with that.” Jasper smirked and popped a jobi nut into his mouth.

I jokingly glared at him and then remembered why I originally came to see them. My face became more serious. “Have you figured out that arrow Kane brought to you?”

Monty’s brows furrowed. “Sort of. It’s definitely not poison. It almost seems like some type of drug. It holds a lot of addictive properties and chemicals, and the weird thing is, it’s a stimulant. It would make sense to put some sort of sleep inducing drug on an arrow, but a stimulant makes no sense. It is no drug that we are familiar with. ”

I’m sick of hearing that it is something we have never seen before. The only good news in this situation is that we have identified that it is not a poison, but some type of drug. Like Monty said, it makes no sense to put this type of drug on an arrow. I’m more confused now than when we thought it was poison. Who wants the princess dead? Who would put that on an arrow and why? Are the first and second assassin even connected? None of this makes sense. My thoughts were cut short when a scream broke through the air, coming from the opposite side of camp. More sounds of chaos and panic followed.

Monty, Jasper, and I looked at each other confused, then broke into a run. 

Just as we were coming to the tree line, someone yelled, “REAPERS!”

My stomach dropped, filling with dread. Reapers made up most of the Mountain Men’s army. They were straight savages that ate human flesh. They seemed almost like the undead. They didn’t mind pain and make me think that they are incapable of feeling it. Their strength is close to double a human’s and they are here, at Arkadia. That could only mean one thing, they are harvesting.

I picked up my speed and ran into the clearing. People were running to our weapons storage stocking up on various weapons. Already dressed in my gear, I had my daggers and bow and arrows on me so I continued running toward the action.

I rounded a wooden shack and they came into view. There were about ten of them by the tree line, but their strength matched twenty. They had white paint smeared on their faces making their bloodshot crazed eyes pop out. All of them had metal cages over their mouths that followed their nose and extended up, shielding their heads. They held heavy weapons. One had a long club looking piece of wood that had nails sticking out all around it. Another had a long spear that he swung around wildly and another with a weapon that looked as if they had attached multiple axe heads together.

Bellamy and Octavia were already on the scene with many more joining. A few climbed buildings and perched themselves on the roofs with bows. Arrows were hitting the Reapers, but they acted as if a bug had flown into them. Where’s Raven with her explosive arrows when you need them?

I heard a loud grunt come from my right. I turned to find a reaper charging me with a sword held high above his head, ready to bring it down on me. I rolled to the side as he followed through with his strike. Rolling up to my knee, I plunged a dagger through the back of his thigh. His leg buckled with pain. He fell to his knees and with the butt of my dagger, I struck the back of his head, knocking him unconscious. 

As soon as I stood up, I was blindsided by a kick to my jaw. That will definitely leave a mark. I fell on my back, only to be picked right back up by another reaper. His one hand gripped my throat and I was lifted so high that I was looking down at him. The whites of his eyes were bloodshot and the actual color of his eyes were such a dark color of red, it was almost black. 

I kicked and struggled to break free, but had no luck. I gripped his hand trying to break his hold on me. He wasn’t budging. Black spots started to dance in my vision. My strength was leaving me and my hands slowly slid off his grip.

Next thing I knew, I was on the ground staring up at the sky. The spots slowly faded away and I became more aware. I lifted my head to see Wells on the reaper’s shoulders. The reaper was trying to throw him off, but Wells held strong. His grip slid down to the reapers neck. Wells wrapped his legs around the reaper’s hips. With a stressed jump, Wells reached his head and stabbed a dagger into his eye. The reaper writhed with pain and reached back. He grabbed Wells and threw him off. He landed on the ground with a thud, unconscious. The reaper left the dagger in his eye socket and stumbled away.

I surveyed the area. Bellamy and Jasper were struggling against another reaper. Bellamy led strike after strike, each one either being blocked or not acknowledge by the reaper. The reaper, with a final arching strong blow, knocked Bellamy's sword from his hand. It left him wide open and defenseless. His eyes widened as he waited for his impending doom. The reaper kicked him and sent him flying through a building ten feet behind him. He crashed through the wall, the wood splintering. He laid there motionless.

I could see the rage overwhelm Jasper’s face and body. With a yell, he brought his sword down on the reapers arm. His hand fell to the ground and blood poured from his wrist. This wound, he did notice. He wailed in pain. 

It all moved in slow motion. With his attached hand that held a spear, he thrust it through Jasper’s chest. Jasper looked down, shocked at the sight before him. His eyes followed the spear up to the reaper, his mouth wide open.

I threw my dagger. It went through the reapers wrist, making him lose function of his only hand left.

Monty, all of the sudden, dropped from the tree above, landing on the reaper. Monty took out a dagger and sliced the reapers throat. He fell to his knees and then on his front, lying motionless. Monty followed him to the ground. He ran to Jasper.

I looked around and saw that the reapers were retreating. The only reason they would be retreating is because they got what they came for. My eye frantically searched the tree line. Then I spotted them. Fox was being dragged by her ankles. She was unconscious. The other was Wells. He was thrown carelessly over another’s shoulder, also unconscious. 

I went after them, but when I crossed the tree line, I was greeted by a red mist that surrounded the area. It burned my eyes and made my nose run. I began to cough. I ran deeper into the woods, turning my head in every direction, hoping to catch a glimpse of them, but my vision was blurred. My head bagan to spin and my lungs burned and spasmed from the mist and lack of oxygen.

I had to get back to Arkadia before I passed out. My heart pounded in my ears, my fists were clenched so tight that my knuckles turned white. I yelled in frustration. I let more be taken. Every time they come, they get what they want. It seems like they are always a step ahead of us. They know how to keep us contained and controlled so they can make an easy escape. We have no idea where their hideout is. We don’t know who their leader is. We know nothing. We only know that they keep taking our people 

How could I let that happen? We are slowly getting picked off and it feels like I can’t do anything to stop it. 

I can’t dwell on that right now. There are people in Arkadia that I can help, that need my help right now. I stumbled back to Arkadia. As soon as I crossed into the clearing, I instantly felt better with the oxygen rushing through my body again.

Monty held a pale limp Jasper. Tears escaped his eyes. His words barely left louder than a whisper. “Jasper… Jasper… Please… You’re okay… You’re going to be okay…”

I felt his neck for a pulse. It was very faint, but it was there. I’m the commander of death. I can’t let him die. I won’t. I don’t command it. With the amount of times Jasper has saved me, I can’t let him die. I will save him. I have to.

With determination. I yelled instructions. “Someone get a stretcher! I need people to carry him to the med tent! NOW!”

Harper brought over a stretcher. More came over to lift him on it and carry him to the medical tent. I held the spear that was still in his chest  in place, making sure it didn’t move. They placed him on an empty table. Bellamy laid unconscious on the table next to him.

He looked even more pale, if possible. I checked his pulse again. I didn’t feel anything. I kept repositioning my finger, but still felt nothing. I needed to do chest compressions, but the spear was in the way.

“The spear needs to come out.” The spear had impaled him on the right side of his chest. I don’t think it would wound his heart if I were to take it out. Either way it had to come out. His heart wasn’t beating. 

I gripped the spear and pulled straight up. It came directly out and blood starting pouring out of the wound.

“Harper put pressure on the wound.” Harper grabbed cloth and did as told.

I got up on the table and straddled Jasper’s body to get a better angle. I pushed on his chest repeatedly. 

This is how I command death. Only Arkadians know about this medical procedure. We accidently discovered it a few years ago during a moment of extreme frustration when someone was fatally wounded in battle. It has saved quite a few of my friends and I hope it will do the same for Jasper.

I kept pushing. I became winded, but my rhythm stayed strong. It seemed like an hour had gone by. The room was completely silent and filled with anticipation and hope that Jasper would come back. The silence was broken by the sound of a rib or two of Jasper’s breaking from the pressure I was putting on them.

At last, he took a breath. Relief flooded the whole room.

Jackson, our usual medic returned from tending the injured who were still outside. He rushed over to help. He took Harper's place.

“Clarke, hand me that bottle with the clear liquid.” He nodded his head in the direction of the bottle.

I turned to a table behind me that held a few rows of bottles that held various liquids. The clear liquid Jackson was referencing was on the end of the row. I grabbed it, took the cap off, and handed it to him.

He lifted his hand off the wound and poured it all over. “Grab that dagger and hold it in the fire until it glows orange.”

I did as told and handed him a glowing dagger. This is going to hurt like hell. There is a chance that Jasper could spring awake due to the pain. I restrained one of his arms and urged others to do the same. “Three more grab his other arm and legs.”

Once he was fully restrained, Jackson put the dagger to his wound. The smell of burning flesh filled the room and the sound of his flesh sizzling under the heat became prominent. Jasper suddenly woke up screaming in pain. His arms and legs tried to thrash, but we were ready. His arm made an attempt to move. I had to put most of my weight on his arm to keep it restrained. His screams echoed through the tent and no doubt the entire camp. Seconds later, silence filled the room as he passed out.

Jackson lifted the dagger to reveal an angry looking burn. The bleeding had stopped. Jackson walked over to the other side of Jasper. He started grabbing leaves and a bottle of green paste. He created a patch that he placed over the burn on Jasper's chest.

We had done all we could for Jasper. The rest was up to him.

I stayed by Jasper’s side late into the night, watching over him, while also attending the other wounded. His breathing was shallow and he broke into a sweat. He was probably fighting an infection that had formed. I had placed a wet rag on his forehead to cool him off.

Bellamy had woken up a few hours ago asking what had happened. I explained, gave him water, and ushered him back to sleep.

I kept having to fight off sleep myself. My eyelids grew heavier and heavier each minute. There was no doubt that I had dark bags under my eyes.

Jackson walked through the tent flaps. “Go to bed, Clarke. I can handle it from here. You need rest.”

I shook my head to wake myself up. “I can’t. I have to watch over them.”

Jackson walked over to me and rested a hand on my shoulder. Concern showed on his face. “You are in no condition to watch over them. Go to bed.”

I pondered what he said and he was right. I was fighting sleep more than I was helping. I also remembered how Wells, not long ago, told me to make sure to help myself.

I nodded and left the tent. I reached my cabin that I shared with Octavia and Raven. Octavia was sound asleep and I soon followed.   
  



	6. Chapter 6

I was seven again. I was outside with my dad learning star constellations or at least learning as much as a seven year old could.

“That one right there…” my dad stood behind me and pointed right next to my head, trying to get me to see it. “is Leo. The story goes that Leo was a lion, that a man named Hercules, killed. The lion was said to be very hard to kill. It couldn’t be killed by any sword or arrow. Its fur protected it.”

I stared at the constellation. “So how did he kill it then?”

He took his eye off the stars and stared at me. “He found a way around the fur. He used no weapon but his hands. He hurt the lion’s throat. However, he did get hurt in the process.”

“Why is it called Leo? It looks nothing like a lion. It looks more like that cake mom tried to make once.” I looked to the stars confused. 

The hope that I was taking in the information about constellations that originally shown on my dad’s face disappeared. His eyes narrowed at me and then a smile graced his face. He grabbed me around the waist and lifted me so he could hold me. “Don’t let mom hear you say that. Speaking of food, dinner should be ready soon.”

The cool air caused goose bumps to raise on my skin and a shiver to coarse through my body. My dad held me tighter. He carried me inside and placed me in a chair by our dinner table. My mom just entered the room and pulled out a chair to sit down. 

A couple servants moved around the room filling glasses with wine and water. Just as dinner was being brought out, a servant informed us that someone was at the door. “A man with the name Cage is here to see you. He says it is urgent business.”

My dad locked eyes with my mom as if communicating something through their eyes. My dad got up and went to the door.

Their voices were slightly muffled. I could catch only some of the conversation. 

“You know you simply cannot walk away. You’ve seen things that I know you will not keep a secret.”

“What you do is wrong. I will not be apart of it anymore. It needs to stop.”

“What you think doesn’t matter.”

The conversation was drowned under the sounds of more plates being placed on the table.

Suddenly, there were sounds of crashes and yelling. My mom stood up and grabbed me, pulling me close to her.

Five large men stormed into the dining room, the table separated us. My mom started screaming. “NO! PLEASE! NO! JAKE!”

She backed away and pulled me with her. Terror consumed me. I had the urge to run and I went to do just that, but as I grabbed my mom’s wrist, she was pulled in the opposite direction by one of the men. 

Tears filled my eyes. “Mom!”

I ran to her trying to beat the man off her, but he acted as if I wasn’t there. Strong hands closed around my waist and I was lifted. I kicked and screamed, trying to get loose. My seven year old strength was no match. I was carried out into the front entrance where my dad was kneeled on the ground in front of a man with a mask. Blood was dripping down his face and his hair was messed up, sticking out on the sides and hanging in his face.

His eyes caught mine. He tried to convey a comforting smile, but it did no such thing. “It’s okay, Clarke. It’ll be okay.” He didn’t look as if he believed himself.

The screams of my mom broke into the room. Like me, she didn’t come without a fight. The man who carried her in had ahold of her wrists and turned her to face him. She continued screaming and tried to break his grasp. His response was a loud slap to the face. She fell to the floor crying. He forced her to kneel, as was I.

The man with the mask walked in the center of us, looking at my dad. “Jake, you can’t be trusted. No one in this household can be, no doubt everyone here has heard what you have to say. So, you have a choice. Abandon your house, your name, live among us, continue to help me and I will let you all live or…” He stepped to the side as his eyes passed my mom and I. He held his gaze on me as he spoke the other option. “you all become my next test subjects.” 

A fresh wave of fear shot through my body. What did that mean? All I knew is that it couldn’t be good. I looked at my dad, hoping that he would somehow be able to get us all out of this.

Desperation filled his face and voice. “You can’t. I can’t... I can’t keep helping you. You can’t kidnap people and experiment on them. It is beyond wrong. I can’t believe I’ve been a fool for this long. I can’t believe I trusted you!”

He turned back to my dad. “I guess your decision has been made.”

“No! I won’t let you do that to my family. Just take me. I will go quietly and you will leave them alone.” His voice was pleading.

The masked man laughed. “What do I have to gain from that?”

“My research! You won’t get my research unless you take my deal.” He was breathing fast. A single tear ran down his cheek creating a path through the blood.

“Hmmm… Alright deal.” The masked man turned to one of his helpers and nodded.

One started dragging away my dad. Just as I was about to scream in protest, a hard blow was delivered to the back of my head. I fell forward. My head swam. I felt something tickle the back of my head. The screams of my dad were muffled and a loud ringing became prominent. I looked to the floor to find blood dripping in front of me. My vision was blurry as I looked up to see the image of the masked man’s eyes staring directly at me. A hint of a smile could be seen in them. Fire was dancing in his pupils.

Wait… fire? I looked around. The whole house was up in flames. I searched for my mom and dad. “Mom! Dad!”

My dad was nowhere to be found. My mom, however, was a few feet from me, face down, unconscious. “Mom!”

I crawled to her and flipped her onto her back. Blood soaked her face and hair. I shook her trying to wake her. “Mom! Mom! MOM!” Tears poured out of my eyes. All I had left in this moment was my mom. She was my only comfort. I had to get her out of here and get help. I tried dragging her, but I wasn’t strong enough. The flames were overwhelming the room more and more as I struggled to move her.

A deep voice boomed from behind me. “She gone little one, and so will you.” He brought a sword above his head, ready to bring it down on me.

The sword barely missed me as I lept to the side. I scrambled to my feet and ran through his legs as he struggled to dislodge his sword from a floorboard. I ran further into the burning house. The flames felt like they were burning every exposed piece of flesh on me. Sweat rolled between my shoulder blades and down my face. That didn’t stop me. I kept running, ignoring the dead bodies of our servants. My priority was to get help for my mom. My running came to a halt when a large wooden beam fell in front of me. I fell back.

I heard the footsteps of the man closing in on me. I looked around. There was nowhere to go, except the flame licked door to my right.

The man was so close that he began to reach out for me. I made my decision. I crashed through the flames and the door. Fire briefly encompassed me. The smell of burning hair filled my nose. My sleeve caught on fire but was put out when I landed on the floor. Flames roared up the walls to the top of the ceiling. The ceiling had partially caved in. At the end of the room was a window. That was my escape. I got up and ran to it. I threw myself through it and woke with a jolt in my bed.

I was covered in sweat and tears. I was shaking and felt like I was going to throw up. I sat up and had water thrusted in front of me. I took it and my eyes followed the arm that held it. It was Octavia.

“You okay?” Concern shone on her face.

I gulped down the water. “Yeah… It was the usual dream… memory…” I let out a sigh.

That memory haunts me most nights. Usually it’s in smaller fragments or there are weird dreamlike things that happen in it, such as recent memories mixing in with the old. However, after reaper attacks, it alway strikes me full force, as clear as ever.

I put my head in my hands. The image of the masked man’s face glowing with fire surrounding him was still fresh in my mind. His sinister eyes danced in my vision.

“Clarke!” Octavia shook my arm. 

The image snapped out of my mind. I looked to her. “Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Silence followed her words. My gazed dropped to my hands on my lap.

“Clarke, we’ll get them, end them once and for all. Just have faith.” She tried catching my eyes.

I spoke venomously. “How many more will have to be taken before that happens?” Octavia flinch at my words and stared to the floor, sadness overtaking her features.

I didn’t meant to be so sharp with Octavia. She was only trying to help, but my anger level is just under its breaking point. I can’t afford to lash out at my friends in times like these. We need to stick together.

“I didn’t mean to say that. I’m just frustrated. We all are. We’ve all lost people.” She nodded accepting my attempt at an apology.

Sunlight was beginning to leak through the windows of our cabin. “It’s okay, Clarke. Let’s go check on the wounded.”

I nodded and got up to get dressed.

We walked in silence toward the med tent. Arkadia’s atmosphere definitely changed since yesterday. It was quieter than usual and everyone worked with a defeated look on them. Most of the work consisted of repairing all the damaged buildings from yesterday’s fight. There was no laughing or light conversations. Only the sounds of work.

We entered the tent to find an alert Bellamy. “Hey guys. Jackson is being stupid and won’t let me leave.”

Octavia let out a short amused laugh. “I think he is being smart. You really clonked your head yesterday.”

“Well, yeah. Maybe.” His attention turned to me. “Wow. You look tired.”

“Wow. Thanks. That’s what every girl wants to be told.” I would’ve thumped the back of his head, but seeing as he already has a concussion, I had mercy on him.

He gave a sheepish grin and scratched the back of his neck. “Right. Sorry. Uh… Kane told me to tell you that he already told Jaha about Wells and that you should go to the shop and fill Raven in. He said she’s getting antsy.”

I nodded and then walked over to an unconscious Jasper. He was still sweating and had a cold wet rag on his forehead. His breathing was a little labored. The wound was covered by a green patch, made by Jackson, and a red angry color surrounded it.

Bellamy spoke up. “He hasn’t woke up yet, but he does mumble sometimes.”

“That’s an improvement, I think,” Octavia said.

It was neither good or bad. I just hope it was sign that he was getting better and becoming more conscious.

I face them. “I need to get to the shop, like Kane said. I’ll come by and visit later.”

“Clarke, would it be alright if I stop by? I could pound out a few of my feelings in metal.” Octavia looked hopefully at me.

“Yeah. Of course. I’ll do you one better. How about we spar?” I could do with some sparring. My bottled up feelings were bound to come out eventually and I’d rather have them come out in a spar than at some inconvenient time. Maybe it’ll help me clear my head so I can think better.

Bellamy wore a disappointed expression. “Hey, I want to fight.” 

Octavia made no indication that she acknowledged what he said, except for the hand that reached over and covered his mouth. 

“Great!” she looked very pleased at my suggestion.

I nodded goodbye to each of them and left. The bickering of Octavia and Bellamy faded as I walked away.

 

***

 

Before I made my way to the shop, I decided to drop by Jaha’s for a visit to see how he took the news Kane delivered him.

I walked by his bakery and saw it was closed. I’m not surprised. I can understand that he needs a break after hearing news like that.

I went to the door and knocked. There was no answer. I knocked again. After waiting another minute, I knocked one last time. This time I heard shuffling behind the door. It opened only a few inches. 

A sliver of Jaha’s face appeared. “Oh. Clarke.” The door opened a few more inches, revealing his whole face.

“Hi. I came by to see if you were okay or if you needed anything. Can I come in?” Something was off about him. Anyone was expected to act different after receiving news like that, but this seemed more off than one would expect. His face held almost no emotion. The only emotion present was a slight look of fear. I rubbed it off as just him getting over the shock of losing his son. 

Jaha turned his head toward the inside of his bakery, looking around.

I gave a confused look. “Is Kane still here?”

His head shot back toward me, face still emotionless. “What… No, No… You can come in.” He opened the door wide so I could step in.

The smell of freshly baked bread filled my nose. Ingredients filled the counters that surrounded the room and already made bread was stacked, covering one wall. Some orders were already wrapped and packed, ready for delivery. My mouth would’ve watered if it hadn’t been for the weight of loss hanging over our heads.

“Please, have a seat. “ He gestured toward a table in the middle of the room. I did as he set down tea in front of us.

We both sat in awkward silence, no one daring to drink the tea. Not sure how to start the conversation, I cleared my throat. “I-- uh-- I’m really sorry about Wells. If there is anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.”

Another span of awkward silence took place. His hands fidgeted on the table. “Uh… Thank you Clarke. I appreciate that, I really do.” They way he said it, void of emotion, made me think he didn’t appreciate it, like it was hollow words. It was, to be fair. It wouldn’t bring Wells back. It was a lame cliche thing to say, but I had never been greeted with so much silence by Jaha before. It made me slightly anxious.

“Arkadia is doing everything we can to put a stop to the Mountain Men. We’ll bring justice to all those they have taken. He won’t have gone in vain. I’ll make sure of it.” I wasn’t sure what else to say. Nothing that I said seemed to evoke any emotion from him.

He nodded. “I’m sure you will, Clarke. Thank you. I’m sorry to say that I will have to politely kick you out for I am a busy man at the moment. I would like to take everything in and then be able to get on with my work. After all, I still have people waiting on orders. The world doesn’t stop just for one person.” He stood up and gestured to the door.

Slightly shocked by the sudden booting, I clumsily stood up. “Right. I’ll leave you to it.”

I walked outside and went to turn around to say some last parting and hopefully comforting words, but the door slammed shut.

That was a very weird encounter. Again, I thought that it must be the shock of losing his son that had caused him to act that way. He seemed so quick to dismiss me, like he couldn’t wait to get rid of me. I’ll ask Kane later how he took the news. In the meantime, I had to prepare for a sparring session.   
  



	7. Chapter 7

I had told Raven everything she had missed the day prior. She was busy on a mission a days travel away involving some noble and a stolen identity. She was very angry that she had missed the fight and felt that she could have helped prevent Wells and Fox from being taken.

So, with everyone fairly angry, Raven joined Octavia and I in a sparring session to release her frustration. After a good hour or two of fighting each other, we decided to experiment with our skills. Currently, I was standing in between Octavia and Raven blindfolded. 

The idea of this tactic was to be prepared for moments when your opponent has a sight advantage, such as being blinded by dirt thrown in your eyes. I had to focus on the sounds around me and hopefully be able to distinguish the moves being made.

Octavia counted down. “Three… two... one… start!”

I heard their feet shuffling around. They were circling me. The seconds suspensefully waiting for attack moved slow.

Someone took a sharp intake of breath to my left. My attention shifted to it. It was quickly followed by the rustle of clothes, meaning a fist was flying at me. I put my forearm up next to my head and blocked one of their punches. Immediately, I threw a low kick, landing a hit on either Octavia’s or Raven’s leg. They vocalized nothing as to not give away their positions and identities.

My hearing caught the subtle sound of a foot pivoting on grass, which was quickly followed by more rustling clothes. This time it was a kick coming my way. I couldn't tell if it was high or low or what direction it was coming from, so I grabbed whoever I had just kicked and pulled them in front of me. 

A grunt sounded, followed by, “Owwww… That was ridiculous! How did you manage to grab me. I was silent.” It was Raven.

I laughed. “It was luck to be honest. I blindly grabbed and you happened to be there.”

“Well, we were just getting warmed up.” It was Octavia speaking this time.

Silence fell over us again, other than the sound of foot movement. This time movement came from both sides. I ducked and blindly shoved into one direction, hitting what I thought to be Octavia. They stumbled back a few feet. Raven, behind me, threw a punch. It grazed my bicep as I spun out of the way. Before she could pull away, I gripped her wrist and pulled her into me. I threw her over my shoulder and I could hear her body hit the ground with a thud.

I heard Octavia rushing me. Her shoulder collided with my ribs as she wrapped her arms around my torso, taking me down. She straddled me, but before she could do anything, I threw blind punches, landing my second one. I could tell she was caught off guard by my sudden offense.

Taking her shock to my advantage, I thrusted my hips up, knocking her off balance. She shot forward, her hands catching herself slightly above my head. It left a gap between her hips and mine. I was able to slip my foot to the inside of her leg. I pushed up and behind me with my leg and she went flying over my head, landing solidly on what sounded like her back. I heard the wind be knocked from her lungs. She coughed.

Raven had recovered and could be heard stepping on something solid. It sounded like wood. I inched my way over to the sound, which I found out was a big mistake. 

Raven was suddenly on my back. She jumped from what I think was the table near the shop. It was like the world’s most wildly uncomfortable piggy back ride. She clung to my neck as I stumbled for my balance around the clearing.

Octavia could be heard in the background laughing. While searching for my footing, my toe caught something hard and solid and we went flying. My hands reached in front of me to break my fall. They were soon crushed by the additional weight of Raven, whose shoulder dug into the back of my head and shoved my face into the ground.

The inertia caused by the ground suddenly stopping my body, made Raven slide off my back and over my head. Her arms were pinned under my neck in the secure position she had once held when I was upright. I heard her faceplant right in front of where my face resided in the ground.

She rolled the rest of her body off me with a groan. I rolled to my back and pulled my blindfold off. I was greeted with the sight of Octavia on the ground laughing, clutching her stomach.

Just as I was opening my mouth to give her a piece of my mind, a slow clap interrupted me.

Octavia stopped laughing and looked a few feet behind me. Raven and I followed her line of sight.

Princess Alexandria stood there with one of her guards, slow clapping at the fiasco she had probably just witnessed.

My face burned with embarrassment. I knew that my cheeks had gone as red as Raven’s.

“I have to admit, that was very entertaining. I may take that move in the future, Raven.” A wide shining smile was placed on her face, showing her perfectly white and straight teeth. She looked on the verge of laughing. 

I had never seen her smile this fully, this beautifully. I couldn’t look away, and I couldn’t help but smile back. What I would give for her to address me like she had Raven…

Those thoughts rushed out my head when Raven elbowed me.

“And Clarke, good thing Costia wasn’t here. I’m sure she would have made a comment about all this.” As thrilling as it was to hear how lovely my name was coming off her tongue, I couldn’t help but almost completely regret my wishes of her addressing me. If it was possible, my face went redder. 

“I… Yeah…” I had no comeback to that. I was too embarrassed and awkward to know what to say and Raven seemed the same way.

Luckily, Octavia was there to save us. “Your highness.” She had recovered from her laughing fit and was able to stand and bow her head slightly. 

I had expected Octavia to turn the subject away from the fact that I could be a massive clutz, but she did no such thing.

“I am Octavia. Nice to meet you. I think I can make a good enough substitute for your friend. Clarke…” She turned to me. “You should’ve seen how stupid you guys looked. You were flailing your arms everywhere… ha ha... looking drunk… ha ha ha... and Raven looked absolutely wild. She was like a little demon… ha… and then you fell… ha ha… you both ate the ground so hard… Oh. Ow. Ha ha ha.” 

Octavia was on the ground laughing again, clutching her stomach. My embarrassment was eating me alive at this point, so I covered my face in my hands and fell back onto the ground. 

Raven chose to take off her shoe and chuck it at Octavia. It hit her directly in the forehead.

Her laughter subsided. “Hey. Ow. That hit me square in the forehead.”

“Yeah and that’s what you get for making fun of us,” Raven retorted.

Our behavior was in no way acceptable in the presence of any royal or noble, but there was something different about the princess. There was a quality about her that made us instantly comfortable when being in her presence. It was as if we could do the stupidest thing known to man and she would not judge us or dare to scold us. In fact, she seemed to enjoy our stupidity. I’m not the type of person who trusts people easily, but with Princess Alexandria, I felt that I could trust her with barely knowing her. 

I could sense an argument about to break out between Octavia and Raven, so I decided to bring myself back into the conversation. “Let’s pretend none of this ever happened.” I wiped some dirt off my face and got to my feet. Raven followed. “Is there anything we can do for you, your highness?”

“Please, there is no need to call me your highness. It makes me feel old and like I am above you, which I do not want you to feel. Just call me Lexa.” Lexa suited her much more than Alexandria. It matched her personally and made her seem more common.

She continued. “If it isn’t too much trouble, I was hoping to ask for a favor.” Her eyes flickered between the three of us.

I spoke. “Of course. Anything, your…… Lexa.” Raven whispered to me my slip up. “Your Lexa. Hehehe.” She continued snickering until I elbowed her.

“Alright, if you’re sure. Recently, a few of my guards have… gone missing, and I’m in need of replacements. Since you make weapons for a lot of nobility and I assume you know at least some good fighters, I was hoping you’d be able to recommend some trustworthy skilled people.” She was very hesitant to talk about her guards. It seemed like she was hiding something. The hesitance and fear that was displayed on her face made me think that the Mountain Men had something to do with this.

Lexa suddenly became more alert and she focused on me. She spoke lower, almost in a whisper. “Mountain Men. You know about them?”

Had I said that aloud? “A little bit. What do you know about them?”

“Not a lot. They’re so mysterious. Their soldiers are savage and don’t seem human. As quickly as they come, they leave with one of us and they are never to be seen again. What do you know about them.” She was very interested now. Everyone had huddled closer together, including her guard, as if reapers were going to jump out at us any moment.

I hesitated to answer. Every person they have ever taken from me and Arkadia flashed through my mind. I’m sure the same thing was happening to Raven and Octavia because their eyes had glazed over. “Not much more than you do. Just that a man of the name Cage, works there. He may or may not be their leader. No one knows where they are located or what they do with the people they’ve captured. Some of their weapons are Raven level genius. They make sure no one can follow them and know how to make an easy escape.” Typically they target only Arkadian’s. I kept that part to myself because it confused me why they are targeting royal guards.

“So you’ve encountered them?” She kept eye contact with me and her stare never wavered.

Octavia answered this time. “To put it lightly.”

A heavy air seemed to overwhelm us, as if everyone was now reflecting on all they’ve lost to the Mountain Men. No one dared to continue the conversation.

Raven broke the silence. “I’m sure we can find you some recommendations for guards. We can have a list for you within the next few days.”

Lexa gave an appreciative nod. “Thank you. I’ll come back at the end of the week to discuss who you’ve picked out. Well, we don’t want to take up anymore of your time. I really appreciate you doing this for me. I’ll see you soon.”

As they were walking away, Lexa could be heard saying, “Oh, Anya, I want to stop by that candle shop. The ceiling had mysteriously caved in a few weeks ago and I noticed it opened back up.”

My eyes widened slightly and I choked on my own spit. Her comment was unnoticed by the other two.

Raven was deep in thought. “The Mountain Men have expanded their targets to royal guards. Why? They don’t have Arkadian blood.”

Raven’s comment seemed to be unheard by Octavia. “Clarke, I think there is something that you should see back at Arkadia.” Octavia wore a sad but urgent expression.

 

***

 

We walked through Arkadia where people were still working on repairing yesterday’s damage. We headed straight to the center of the village where a giant reinforced two story building stood. It was made mostly out of steele and other various metals. It served as our main building where big mission strategies were made and where people on guard watch could sleep and take breaks. It also served as a sort of panic room in which everyone could hide if a scenario calls for it. 

A ramp led up to it and a giant Arkadian flag hung over the entrance. We made our way inside. We passed two guards. I followed Octavia and Raven up the ladder that led to the second level. Another guard stood at the top of the ladder. Raven was in front of me so she made it to the top first. I could hear her gasp.

I came through the trap door and surprise overtook me. Standing chained toward the back wall was a reaper, the same reaper I had knocked out the day before.

He took notice of us and immediately lit up. His red eyes darted between us as he lunged forward, only to be abruptly stopped by the chains around his wrist. He yanked on the chains trying to free himself, drawing blood around the shackles that held his wrists.. He let out a throaty yell and continued to struggle to get to us.

He was shirtless and his armor was stripped of him and now sat on a table far off to his right. A tattoo ran up his neck and wrapped around his ear. Two symmetrical tattoos sat on his chest and more covered either bicep.

“Whose idea was this?” I was nervous to be this close to a reaper, feeling that any moment he could break free and kill us all easily.

“Murphy,” Octavia replied. 

“Of course it was. Raven, can you go find Murphy?” Of course Murphy would be the one to attempt something as dangerous as this. Although, this may have been his best worst idea yet. We are now harboring the enemy.

“On it.” Raven climbed down the ladder to fetch Murphy.

Octavia and I watched the reaper thrash around in silence until Raven returned with Murphy.

Murphy came through the floor first. “You called me, your highness.” I ignored his attitude and nickname.

“This was very risky doing something like this. How can we ensure Arkadia’s safety? How could you do this without telling people? Does Kane even know?” I was very frustrated with Murphy, but also a little bit thankful. This could give us the breakthrough we need. Currently, frustration consumed that small bit of thankfulness.

“Slow down princess. Guards are here on the clock, constantly. If he does manage to escape, we can lock the trap door and he’ll be stuck up here. Kane doesn’t know and I think it should stay that way. He would never approve of this.” His usual snarky expression never broke from his face.

“What do you expect to gain from this? We don’t even know if he speaks English. All we’ve heard is yelling. Even if he does speak English, how do you expect to get anything out of him without torture? I refuse to let anyone stoop so low to torture him.” Octavia was clearly displeased with the situation. I agreed with her point about torture. She was also right about his language and getting information. This is a reaper, after all. No one has ever heard them speak, other than yelling and grunting.

Murphy held his hands up in surrender. “I just brought him here. You can decide what to do with him. Personally, I think we should do whatever we have to in order to get information. I just thought that he could be of some use to us. I suggest that you don’t get too close to him though.” 

At this point, the reaper had calmed down some and stood panting, not letting his eyes travel away from us, his teeth bared. 

I stared at the reaper and dared to take a step toward him. He instantly lunged at me. The sounds of the chains straining against his pulls echoed. He started yelling again incoherent gargling screams. He looked as if his only desire in life was to rip my throat out and watch the life leave my eyes.

This is going to be hard to get any information.

 


	8. Chapter 8

Lexa’s deadline was here. Octavia, Raven, Kane, and I had discussed who we should put on the list. This was the perfect opportunity to get eyes on the inside of the castle walls, as well as provide protection for the princess. We could only afford to spare a few Arkadians because of our need for good protection and leaders at Arkadia. We chose those we could trust the most with this task.

I sat alone in the blacksmith shop, staring down at the list, hoping we chose the right people and that the decision to hand our people over to the royal family wouldn’t make things worse.

Bellamy 

Harper 

Zoe

Atom

They were all good fighters and had great stealth skills. I trusted them all, especially Bellamy. He had yet to fail me so I trusted that he would make a great guard and supply Arkadia with good information.

There was a knock on the backdoor. Who would knock at the backdoor? I walked to the door and opened it.

It was Lexa. She stood there with her usual hairstyle, the top portion of her hair tied back and braids here and there flowing down the back. She wore a light purple dress that fitted to her torso and flowed down from her waist. It was thin tough material and light looking, like she could run or fight in it if absolutely necessary. She had a gentle smile.

Her guards were posted around the shop surveying the land, looking for anything suspicious or threatening.

“Sorry I came through the back. I walked around expecting you and the other’s to be outside, but you’re not.” It all came out in one breath. I sensed that she was a little nervous.

I smiled at her for reassurance. “That’s alright. Come in. Sit down.” I gestured to a rectangular table, toward the back left of the room.

She walked over and sat down. She took the chair to the left of the table while I sat in the one on the end.

It was evening and the sun was setting. Only one window was uncovered toward the front so not much of the sun’s light reached us. Most of the light around us was made by a few candles that surrounded the table.

Her hands rested on top of the table, fidgeting. She was definitely nervous about something. The confidence she held in our other meetings was weakened and I could see some worry in her eyes.

“Are you okay? You seem… off.” My eyebrows furrowed slightly with worry.

She let out a long sigh. “I’m anxious about having new guards. Know that I wouldn’t have asked you of this favor if I had any other options.” She looked to her hands and paused a few moments. “I don’t know who to trust right now. My men are disappearing and I really need people who can hold against the Mountain Men.”

She doesn’t know who to trust? Why would that be? I didn’t want to ask because she seemed to be very stressed by it and I doubt she would confide that much information into someone she barely knows.

“Well I have people you can trust.” I slid the list to her. The names wouldn’t mean much to her. Only their first names were written so their true identities weren’t revealed.

“Would I know any of these people?” She briefly studied the list.

“No, but I know them all personally and can assure you that they are trustworthy. We all have a common enemy, and they have experience with fighting the Mountain Men.” I don’t know how that could possibly convince someone who is struggling to find people to trust, but it seemed to relax her a bit.

Her eyes lifted from the list and focused on me. “Why aren’t you on here?”

The question caught me so off guard, I barely held in a chortle. I felt heat rise to my cheeks. “Uh… I already have a job.” My reply came out more as a question. I racked my brain for a more convincing answer. “You wouldn’t want me. I’m not royal guard material, no discipline, too many responsibilities to handle.”

“Good fighter,” she added. “I saw more than you and Raven face planting the other day. You’re good, really good, and I feel like I can trust you with barely knowing you. I could use someone like you.”

She left me speechless. How could I answer her? The real reason I hadn’t volunteered myself was that I live two lives. I am Clarke and I am Wanheda. I had too many responsibilities and being apart of something as big as the royal guard, would make being Wanheda difficult. 

Her saying that she felt that she could trust me was like a knife to my chest. She says she trusts me, but I’ll always be harboring a secret, a secret that could completely undo a potential relationship of some sort. I don’t know her opinions of Wanheda. Whether she likes Wanheda or not, she can’t know. It’s for her own protection and reputation. If people knew she was communicating with Wanheda, or even worse, working with Wanheda, an uproar would take place.

I could never be a person she could truly trust.

Rather than answer her, I deflected. “Listen, these people” I pointed to their names. “are also very good. They are perfect for the job and they can be trusted. I give you my word.” I reached over and rested my hand on one of her fidgeting ones. “I may not be helping you on both the inside and outside of the castle walls, but I will still be here if you need me for whatever reason.”

Of course I would be protecting her as Wanheda, but she can’t know that.

She seemed to accept my non-answer.

“I can arrange for you to meet them here,” I suggested.

“Alright. How soon is that possible?” she asked.

“As soon as you want.” My hand was still on hers, but she didn’t seem to mind.

“The day after tomorrow?” she asked hopefully.

“I’ll have them here by noon.” She noticed that our hands were still touching. She blushed, which made me blush. I slowly pulled my hand away, missing the contact instantly.

I didn’t want her to leave just yet and I don’t think she did either. She stayed seated, her hands still. We sat in comfortable silence for a minute.

A smirk grew on her face. “You can tell Raven that her special arrows are excellent. I understand where she is coming from.”

“I take it that you're an archer who can perform Raven’s said advanced shots.” I had already assumed she was an amazing archer by the way she fought the first time I saw her.

She leaned forward, in a more relaxed manner. “My invitation to join me in archery is still open. Every once in a while I travel to a place not far from here. I practice in a beautiful clearing that I don’t think anyone knows about.”

My heart sped up. “I would love that. Where did you learn the skill anyway?”

“I originally come from Trikru. They are historically good fighters. My family is known for being very involved with our people, which included wars. My parents have led our army into many battles before the clans were united.”

“We have you to thank for that,” I interjected. “You were the one who came up with the plan to unite us and convinced and helped them to go through with it. You’re the peacekeeper of the family.”

A blushed creeped up on her face. “Both my father and mother still expect me to be able fight better than anyone in our army, in case anything goes wrong. I can defend myself and my people. I don’t mind though. Archery and swordsmanship are fun to practice and they relax me a great deal. What about your parents? What clan are you from?”

To anyone, other than Arkadia, Skaikru is extinct. They mysteriously dropped off the face of the Earth. In reality they went into hiding, a majority at Arkadia. I couldn’t tell her that's where I am from. That would lead to many complicated questions that I couldn’t give answers to. Before I could stumble my way into another non-answer, yelling from outside distracted us.

I could only understand a single muffled voice. “Let her through. She works here.”

The backdoor burst open. Raven ran in, out of breath. I instantly stood up, knowing something was wrong.

She was bent over, hands on her knees, trying to get her words out between breaths. “Reaper……. Isn’t…… can’t……”

Something is happening with the reaper. Did he escape? Is he rampaging on all of Arkadia?

“Catch your breath, Raven!” I put my hand on her shoulder encouraging her to stand up straight.

She caught her breath and stood up straight, looking me directly in the eyes, not even noticing Lexa. “There is something wrong with him. He’s convulsing. Dying, maybe! We need you. We have to go now!” 

I looked to Lexa with an apologetic expression.

She gave me a single nod. “It’s okay. Go. I’ll see you in a couple of days.” 

That’s all I needed to hear. I sprinted off into the woods after Raven.

We reached Arkadia, out of breath. The sun had finally set, the moon casting shadows of trees across the village. 

Raven held a hand to a stitch in her side. We continued running until we made it to the ladder that led up to the reaper.

The sight I was greeted with was not a pleasant one. The reaper was slouched. The only thing keeping him upright was the chains that held his wrists. Trails of dried blood ran down his forearms. Sweat drenched his whole body and foamy saliva dripped from his mouth. Octavia and the guards who were watching him were circled around him, not knowing what to do because they were afraid to get too close.

I pushed through them and went straight for the reaper. I reached out with my leg and poked him with the tip of my shoe. He didn’t move. I took this as an invitation to check on him. It was completely silent, everyone waiting for him to suddenly jump to life and attack me. 

I lifted his head up. He definitely had a fever. It rolled, limp to the side, resting on his restrained arm. I lifted his eyelids. His eyes were rolled to the back of his head.

He started convulsing again. The sudden movement made all of us jump.

“Unchain his wrists and lay him on the ground!” I ordered.

Octavia thought this was a ridiculous idea. “Are you crazy? He’s a reaper!”

“And he’ll be a dead reaper if I don’t help. He’s our only shot at getting something on the Mountain Men.” I went to unchain one of his wrists while one of the guards on duty did the other.

We hadn't been successful with getting any words out of him for the past few days. Everyone was starting to think it was a lost cause, but I still held hope. Murphy kept bugging me, asking if we could torture answers out of him. He said if that didn't coax anything out of him then we'd know if we are wasting our time.

He flopped to the ground. I flipped him on his side and watched as more foam poured out of his mouth. He was still, more than he should’ve been. I felt for his heart beat. There was none.

“Damnit.” I pushed on his chest repeatedly, trying to get his heart beat back. “Come on, come on.”

After a couple minutes of this, I gave up. We just let our only lead go. This was the only hope we had at getting information on the Mountain Men. I threw my fist down hard on his chest out of frustration, knowing I failed to save him. He took a huge breath.

I looked at him in shock. No one spoke or moved. It was completely silent except for his hoarse breathing.

His chest was rising and deflating in even breaths. I couldn’t believe I just brought him back. For once, my frustration came through for me.

His eyes opened, but they weren’t the usual reaper red. They were a dark brown. My brows furrowed in confusion.

He looked around the room and then stopped on me. “Who are you?” It barely came out as a whisper, but the whole room heard it through the complete silence.

Before I could respond, he passed out.

 


	9. Chapter 9

I pulled an all nighter watching the reaper. His breathing never once faltered. I was dying for him to wake up. The last encounter we had when he spoke opened up so many questions.

We had laid him down in a makeshift bed in the same room we had been keeping him in. We couldn’t risk putting him the med tent. We weren’t sure if he would still exhibit the same behavior as a normal reaper. Also, the only people who know about us keeping a reaper hostage is very slim, and Jackson is not one of them.

His fever had gone down some, but it was still present. I let out a sigh.

I heard someone coming up the ladder. I turned to look and saw Octavia.

“Hey. I came to relieve you,” she said.

I looked at her through my tired eyelids. “Thanks. Let me know if he wakes up.” I stood up and stretched my arms to the ceiling, letting out a yawn.

“I will. Oh, by the way, Jasper woke up not too long ago. Finally, something has gone our way.” She smiled at me.

Relief flooded me. “Thank god. Now we just have to hope he does too.”

I made my way to the ladder. Right when I put my foot on the first step Octavia said one last thing. “Don’t forget to brief Bell and them about being royal guards.”

“Aye, aye Captain.” I saluted and left. 

I went straight for the med tent, wanting to see Jasper. He was surrounded by Raven, Bellamy, Harper, and Monty. Monty had the widest smile of all and looked as if he could cry with happiness. He sat on the edge of Jasper’s bed. They were all laughing about something.

These are the moments I lived for, where everybody is happy, talking like there isn’t a care in the world. This is what I strive to do for these people. I want to make a world where we don’t have to worry about Mountain Men or reapers. I want to make a world where our biggest stressors in life don’t consist of life or death situations, not worrying about who is going to be taken next. Life is more than just surviving and the moment that I see in front of me shows that.

Jasper noticed me standing at the entrance. “Clarke! My savior! Get over here!”

I obliged and stood at his side. I couldn’t help the smile that took over my face. “How are you feeling, Jasper?”

“I feel like I fell out of a two hundred foot tree and that is all thanks to you.” His tone was really happy when he said this.

It made me confused. “You’re welcome?”

He saw my confusion and explained. “I would be dead if it wasn’t for you. I’d rather feel this way than be dead.”

“It wasn’t just me. Jackson helped and so did others, carrying you in,” I said.

He rolled his eyes at my humbleness. “I say we celebrate. Who brought the jobi nuts?”

Bellamy interrupted before anyone else could speak. “No. You know what happened the last time you and Monty ate those things in here.”

“It wasn’t that bad,” replied Jasper.

“It was pretty bad. Kane put us on cleaning duty for a month, not to mention the fury we ignited in Jackson. I will give anything to never see Jackson angry again.” A shiver ran through Monty as he thought back to the incident.

“Your hands were also died green for at least a week,” I reminded them.

The only thing I’ll say about the incident is that it involved healing paste, jobi nuts, a lot of broken things, and an unsupervised Jasper and Monty. We use jobi nuts sometimes to relax people during certain procedures. That’s why they were originally in here. We keep the jobi nuts in the med tent locked up now. We’ve also restricted where Jasper and Monty can eat them.

“I thought that being the geniuses you guys are, you would’ve figured out a way to return your skin color back to normal,” Bellamy said.

“Nope. Just a lot of washings. I’m kind of glad our hands were dyed green though because I convinced that kid, what’s his name, James, that my hands turned green from picking my nose so much. He still doesn’t go near me,” Jasper replied. Everyone laughed.

Harper looked as if some divine revelation had occurred to her. “Wait! That’s why he stopped picking his nose? I thought he finally realize that it was disgusting and no one wanted to see him digging for gold.”

Everyone’s laughter grew louder. “Yep, Picky Jimmy is no more.” Jasper looked proud of this achievement. 

“Yeah. You took down our biggest enemy yet, a twelve year old boy who liked to eat his boogers,” I said. More laughter took over. Bellamy and Harper had to wipe tears away, while Monty buried his face in the sheets that covered Jasper from the waist down. Raven put her hand on my shoulder, trying to make herself stand up straight. I was also close to tears.

I don’t know why we found it so funny. It wasn’t like anyone ate jobi nuts. It must’ve been from the relief everyone felt from Jasper waking up. Spirits were higher than they had been for the past few weeks and everyone was trying to take in as much happiness from the moment as possible.

As everyone recovered from their fits of laughter, the flap of the tent was pushed to the side. Atom walked in. He pulled back on his hood, revealing his black hair and the bags under his eyes. He must’ve just gotten back from a mission.

“Hey guys. Hey Jasper. It’s good to see you awake and well.” He walked over to Jasper and they gripped each others forearms.

“It’s good to see you too. Do you happen to have any stories about Picky Jimmy?” Jasper asked.

“You mean that kid who could shove his finger, all the way up to the knuckle, in his nose?” Atom couldn’t stop the smile that spread on his face when he thought of the sight.

“Can we please talk about something else?” Harper asked desperately.

“Actually, I wanted to talk to Clarke about some of us becoming royal guards.” Atom’s eyes bounced around to each person to see if everyone here had heard about it.

“Wait, what?” Jasper looked confused, clearly knowing he has missed a lot since he’s been out.

Monty patted Jasper’s leg. “I’ll explain everything later.”

It probably was a good time to talk to those I was sending to the princess. I’m suppose to meet her tomorrow with all them. They need to be briefed and I need to take a long nap afterwards.

“Right, now would be a good time to go over some things. Let’s go somewhere more isolated,” I suggested.

We found Monroe on the way. She was restocking our weapons building. We decided to go over the plan in a big empty tent that held only a table. There were a few tents like these around camp for strategizing because there are normally multiple missions going on at once.

Bellamy, Harper, Monroe, Atom, and I stood around the table facing each other.

“To be honest, there isn’t much to go over. You are to do whatever the Princess Alexandria tells you to. As soon as you go with her, from that point on, you are her men. Obviously, put in your expertise about fighting reapers. That is one of the two reasons you are going with her. So, protect her well, including her other guards. They are also the victims now of the reapers. The second reason is to gather intel. We can’t forget about the assassin that tried to kill her. You may also be able to find out more about the Mountain Men through her men. Just gather as much useful information as possible. At the end of each week, just after the sun sets, someone, most likely either Raven, Octavia, or I, will go to the castle in order for you to report to them. Remember that Monroe has to go by Zoe. We can’t let any noble names slip. Any questions?” I looked at each of them to make sure they kept up with me.

“What if we need to reach someone for an emergency?” asked Monroe.

I let out a sigh. “I don’t know what it will be like inside the castle walls. I don’t know how strict it will be. I can’t be sure what your situation will be like. I trust that you’ll figure out a way to contact one of us. Just in case, I can make sure someone is always at the shop because that is our closest location.” I can’t imagine there being a situation where they need to contact me immediately within the castle walls, but it is possible. Not only am I putting my trust in these four, I am putting my trust into Lexa, trusting that she won’t put them in unnecessary danger and that she will work well with them, being a good leader.

“Anything else?” No one said anything. “Be at the shop before noon tomorrow,” I reminded them.

We all dispersed. I went straight to my bed and was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

I dreamt that I was back on the run, Mountain Men chasing me. 

“She went this way!” 

I broke out of the forest and skidded to a halt just at the edge of a cliff. I looked over the edge and saw raging water rushing below. It was at least a good one hundred foot drop. I heard them just beyond the trees shouting. I looked back and forth between the tree line and the cliff.

A group of men appeared between the trees and surrounded me. “You’re done. You have nowhere to go, Griffin.” The all wore masks but I knew who the voice belonged to. It belonged to a man named Emerson. He’d been given the job to hunt me down and capture the last threat that lived of my family. I knew too much for their liking. I also knew that Emerson would love nothing other than to kill me, but his orders were to take me alive. Cage wanted me to be his new guinea pig.

He took a few steps forward. With each one, I mirrored a step back. My foot slid on a pile of rocks at the edge. I watched as the rocks fell down into the water.

“Careful now. Don’t want to fall.” He had an evil glint in his eyes. “Come quietly and I promise the journey won’t be rough.”

All of them inched forward, swords pointed at me. I put my hands up in surrender.

“Good girl.” Emerson made a move to come get me.

Before he could, I said, “See you in hell.” Then I casually stepped back and fell backwards off the cliff. I felt my stomach drop in my free fall. I knew my best chance of survival was to hit feet first, so I leaned back more. I flipped my body over, like a drawn out backflip, and positioned my feet under me.

The pressure of the water hitting my feet made my legs buckle. The water was rough. I struggled to stay above the surface. I kept getting sucked under and thrown around. I was held under long this time and my foot caught something causing me to spin around out of control. The next thing I knew my head smacked into a rock. I was going in and out of consciousness. 

There were arms that circled around my waist at one point. Then I was being dragged on shore. I coughed up water and laid on my back, staring up at the sky. Darkness was closing around my vision. Before everything went completely black, a man with dark scraggly hair came into view. Bellamy.

I woke up to someone shaking me. It was Bellamy. I sat up immediately.

“What’s wrong?” I was so alert like I was ready to jump into a fight.

He put a calming hand on my shoulder. “Calm down. Nothing is wrong. Octavia sent me to get you. The reaper woke up.”

It was dark outside. The position of the moon told me it was well into the night. I must’ve slept the day away. We speed walked up to where we kept the reaper. Octavia was sitting at his bedside dabbing a cloth on his forehead. That was a promising sign that he wasn’t attacking her. He looked like a normal injured person, as if he had no intention to kill.

Over in the corner was Murphy, sulking. He seemed angry about something.

“Octavia, what’s going on?” I was genuinely confused. I knew something was up with the reaper when his eyes turned normal color, but I didn’t expect him to be civil.

She put her cloth down and faced me. “Clarke, you are not going to believe this. He is normal, like a normal human. It’s as if he was never a reaper. He refuses to talk though. I think that’s because of Murphy.” She glared at him.

“Why?” I looked between her and Murphy.

“I may or may not have tried to attack him when I came up,” Murphy said.

Octavia clarified. “He thought he needed to be restrained when he saw him awake and me bent over him. I was just trying to give him some water. Then out of nowhere, Murphy came and grabbed him.” 

“Murphy get out of here. We’ll fill you in later,” ordered Bellamy.

Murphy knew when not to argue. He silently gathered himself and left, closing the trap door.

I pulled a stool next to other side of his bed and sat. Bellamy stayed standing by the reapers feet.

I didn’t know where to start, so I thought a simple introduction might work. “I’m Clarke. This is Bellamy and Octavia. Do you have a name?”

I think he understood us. He spoke English the day before. There was no confusion on his face, only distrust. We sat in silence as he studied us, not wanting to answer.

I continued, “Can you tell us why you aren’t trying to rip us apart?”

“Clarke!” Octavia reprimanded. She lowered her voice. “Don’t tempt him.”

“Listen, our friends are being picked off by your people. All we want is to protect our people. Please cooperate,” Bellamy stood closer to his bed with his arms crossed.

The reaper now looked confused. It turned into a glare full of anger. We all tensed, not sure if he was going to go back into reaper mode. Bellamy’s strategy wouldn’t work while the reaper clearly didn’t trust us. He was probably trained not to give any information no matter the circumstances.

“We aren’t going to hurt you. That is not our intention. All we want is peace. Don’t you want that too?” I was greeted with more silence and another confused glare.

We spent hours interrogating him, trying to get him to talk. We got nowhere. It was as if he had no emotion, not even the rage that a normal reaper would hold. His face stayed stoic, not showing any signs of breaking. 

The sun had just risen. I would have to get going to the shop soon to meet Lexa.

“I saved your life! Brought you back from the dead. The least you could do is say something.” The frustration and lack of sleep was getting to me, as well as Bellamy and Octavia.

With more silence filling the room, I stood up with a groan. “Bellamy, we need to get going if we are going to meet Lexa. Octavia, I’ll find someone to relieve you so you can get some rest.”

Just as we opened the door, an unfamiliar voice filled the room. “Lexa?”

Bellamy and I shot our heads in the reaper’s direction at lightning speed. He spoke again. “You know Lexa? Princess Alexandria?”

“Yes. I assume you do too?” We stood next to him again. Hope filled me.

“How do you know her?” He asked.

“I’m a friend I guess you could say. Made some weapons for her, currently providing her with new guards. How do you know her?”

“I was one of her guards. My name is Lincoln.” We may have just gained his trust or at least a little bit of it.

Octavia scooted closer to him while Bellamy closed the trap door again. “You were taken by the Mountain Men,” Octavia said.

He nodded.

“How did you become a reaper?” asked Bellamy.

“I don’t remember much, only bits and pieces. I woke up multiple times on a table, strapped down. I was sweating, my insides felt like they were burning. I thought my whole body was going to light on fire, but I would lose consciousness just before the pain got any worse. There was a man with an unnaturally wide smile and this ringing sound keeps coming to mind.” He shook his head as if to get rid of the ringing. “Next thing I knew, I was running through the woods, trapped in my body. It was like a monster woke up inside me that I couldn’t control. I watched every death I caused, every person I took. I can still taste the flesh of those I sunk my teeth into.” He looked lost in memories.

“The Mountain Men create the reapers,” I said. This is bad. They take people and make them reapers. How many of my friends will suffer this fate?

“What would you do with the people you took?” Bellamy asked.

“We’d bring them to the mountain. I don’t know what they would do with them. The strange thing is every time I brought someone, it was like I’d blackout afterwards. I wouldn’t remember what happened until I was back out in the woods.”

Octavia spoke. “So you know how to get to their hideout.”

Lincoln nodded.

We just found our secret weapon.   
  



	10. Chapter 10

We couldn’t talk much longer with Lincoln because we had to get to the shop to meet Lexa. However, there was a conversation about whether or not to tell Lexa about Lincoln. The decision was not yet. We still knew so little about the Mountain Men and if they were to somehow get word that Lincoln was reverted back to normal, our element of surprise would be gone. It could also put us in more danger and make us more susceptible to reaper attacks.

We’ve all been sitting around inside the shop, trying not fall asleep while we waited for Lexa. All of us were very sleep deprived, especially Bellamy, Atom, and I. We all had very distinct dark bags under our eyes, looking as if we hadn’t slept in days.

Finally, there was a knock at the door. Everyone sat up and became alert. I walked over and opened it. “Hi, Lexa. Your saviors are waiting.” I tried to sound upbeat and like I wasn’t about to fall asleep standing. I gestured to the inside, telling her to come in.

She had a smile that slowly faded as she took in my appearance. She didn’t comment on it. “Thank you.” We were both thinking the same thing. I don’t look good.

Bellamy, Atom, Harper, and Monroe all bowed muttering greetings to her. She nodded to them in response. 

“So… You are my new guards. I understand that you all are very experienced with fighting the Mountain Men. I would like you to pass on the knowledge that you have learned from fighting them to my other guards. We need all the help we can get. Furthermore, I expect you all to be fully in this. You are doing your nation a great favor and I want you to be aware that you are protecting more than just me.”

All informal conversations we have had before seemed unreal. She was in full commander of her army mode. Her face was stoic and she spoke loud and clearly. It amazed me how different she was from the women I had spoken to days ago. She continued, “Most importantly, I want you to be comfortable with me. Talk to me if you are concerned about something or if you believe there is something I should know. I am here as your leader. Communication is key. I want to be a good leader for you and I want you to be good soldiers for me in return.”

She concluded her speech and surveyed all of them. “Please, introduce yourselves,” she requested.

They went from left to right. Atom stepped forward first. “Atom, your highness.” He slightly bowed as he introduced himself. The rest followed in suit, Monroe, Harper, and lastly Bellamy. She nodded at each of them.

“You will be escorted to the castle in a carriage that is waiting for you out front. Once you get there I’ll get you all situated.” She gestured out front. Everyone walked out of the shop except Lexa and I.

Our eyes connected. I watched as her commander facade faded. He shoulders sagged slightly and her face relaxed more, allowing some emotion to be read.

“Are you okay?” She asked. “I know you had to run out and handle an emergency last time we talked and you and a few of your friends look absolutely exhausted.”

She looked genuinely concerned. I wondered whether this is how treats all commoners. I wouldn’t be surprised. From what I heard and witnessed, she is an amazing princess to everyone.

“I’m fine. Everything worked out, just been a little too busy for sleep,” I responded.

She moved closer to me. We stood only a foot or two apart. 

“I don’t want to be a bother, but I hoped that you would be willing to journey with us to the castle.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. I couldn’t stop my jaw from dropping. I didn’t answer, not knowing what to say.

She took my silence as confusion, so she began explaining herself. “You see, I wanted to get to know you and your friends more. I also wanted to invite you for dinner as a thank you and…” She hesitated to say the last part. “I kind of hoped that I could try to change your mind about joining the royal guard.”

“I couldn’t impose my presence on you.” I politely declined because that’s the polite thing to do. In reality, I would love to go.

“No. Don’t think of yourself in that way. I insist,” Lexa replied.

“Well, how can I say no if you insist.” I gave her a crooked mischievous smile.

“Excellent. Shall we go?”

We walked outside and saw that everyone was waiting outside the carriage. I looked to Lexa and she gave me a smile before entering her separate carriage.

“Princess, what are you doing out here?” Bellamy asked.

“I’m joining your ride to the castle.” They all gave me confused looks. “She insisted that I came for a thank you dinner.”

“Sounds like she wants to give more than a thank you,” Monroe said. Harper elbowed her, as I fought a blush.

***

I had spent a ridiculous amount of times staking out on the outskirts of the castle. Never had I imagined that I would ever be on the inside of the castle walls. Everything looked more massive than it did from the treeline outside the walls. The property was so wide open and peaceful looking. It made me want to run through it, to feel the breeze on my face and take in the smell of nature.

No one really talked on the way over. Everyone’s nerves and fear of the unknown took over. The carriages stopped in front of the main entrance. A guard opened the door and we filed out.

“Damn,” Bellamy said.

The sun blinded me momentarily when I got out. My eyes adjusted and came to rest upon a beautifully architected castle. It was one of the tallest structures I had ever seen.

“I hope no one is afraid of heights,” I said.

Bellamy snickered.

Lexa appeared in front of us. “Anya is the captain of the guard. She will get you settled in” She gestured to the guard on her right. I had seen her before. I could recognized her sharp cheekbones and deadly stare from anywhere. She had accompanied Lexa previously when she visited the shop.

Anya motioned for my friends to follow her. Lexa walked up to me and said, “I could give you a small tour if you’d like.”

“Sure. I’d love that,” I responded. Not only would I be able to take in more of the beauty of this place, but I could also scope out guard stations and map out the castle. This way it could make it easier to exchange weekly reports if we knew where and when to meet.

I followed her inside. The entrance was enormous. The ceiling climbed high. Decorative paintings littered the walls. Straight ahead was a big set of doors that were open, revealing a short hallway with an equally as high ceiling. The room beyond it looked even more amazing.

“This is the entrance. It’s boring after you’ve seen the rest of the property. Trust me. Come on, let’s go to the ballroom just down this hallway. That will make your jaw drop more than it already is.” She was very amused at the awed expression on my face. I snapped my jaw shut when she mentioned it.

When we walked into the ballroom, I had no words. “This is… wow.”

A massive set of stairs were on either side of another doorway that stood in the center of the back wall. The ceiling was even higher and the area of the floor matched that height. The floor looked professionally polished. I could almost see my reflection in it. A chandelier full of candles the size of the sun hung over the center of the floor. It probably could manage to light the entire room on its own even when the sun was down. Currently the room was mostly lit by two long windows on the sides.

Minutes had gone by without me saying anything. Lexa couldn’t hold back a laugh. “There’s still more.”

“Even though we’ve barely seen the place, I don’t know if I can handle anymore,” I admitted. When I was noble, out house was nice and fairly big, but the castle made it look like a closet.

“I’ll show you a few more rooms and then we can head out to the training grounds. By that time, your friends will probably be out there.” We left the ballroom and took a right down a long hallway.

Windows lined all along the left wall, giving a good view of the castle wall in the distance. Along the right wall were paintings of all the past rulers of Polis. As we made our way down the hall, Lexa briefed me on some history about the castle and its previous rulers. According to her, her parents were the first ones to abandon the idea of imperialism. Previously, each clan wanted to expand their power and rule the lands of the coalition.

She left out the part where it was her idea and that we wouldn’t be where we are today without her. Lexa and her parents were able to convince everyone to unite under the coalition, bringing about peace and ending hundreds of years of war.

I stopped at the end of the pictures, staring at the last one. It was a painting of the current king and queen, Lexa’s parents. The king had a beard and trikru tattoos going up either side of his face. His hair was shaved on the sides and longer on top. The way he looked made me think he was very well respected by other countries. His eyes looked exactly like Lexa’s, bright green.

Lexa’s voice made me jump. “Father never liked that picture. He thought it made his neck look too short and thick.”

I held in a laugh. I could see what he was talking about. He almost had no neck. It didn’t look right with his body proportions.

I looked to her mother. She had dark wavy hair just like Lexa. The only differences were her face was rounder, the cheeks weren’t as defined as Lexa’s, and her eyes were dark brown. Wrinkles were prominent in between her eyebrows, probably due to stress.

“My mother passed away when I was about twelve. She got very sick and couldn’t recover.” Lexa’s face went stoic, but I could see past it. There was a hint of pain behind her eyes.

“I’m sure she was a great mother. She looks very kind,” I said.

“She was. She was the one who taught me archery and how to ride horses. I used to spend hours with her outside. My father had always been more serious and had less free time, probably due to the stresses one has when being king. My mother was the comic relief you could say. However, no one should’ve ever let themselves be fooled by her kind joking demeanor. She was deadly behind any weapon. She had two personalities, she was a mother and a warrior. I deeply respected her.” Her eyes glazed over as she got lost in more memories.

I remember that day I received news of the queen’s death. I was about ten. Bellamy and I were on the run. We were heavily cloaked walking through a village preparing to steal some food. The village was quieter than any place should be with that many people. We didn’t understand why until we heard the whispers about how the queen had passed.

“I lost my mother too and my father. I was seven.” Images of fire, the Mountain Men, and my mother’s lifeless body filled my mind. 

“I’m so sorry,” She wasn’t even bothering to cover up the pain and sympathy on her face.

“It’s okay. It was a long time ago.” Truth was, it may have been a long time ago, but I felt it like it was yesterday. Maybe it was due to the fact that I never got justice. It wasn’t something like Lexa’s mom where an illness took her. Someone else took my parents from me and they still take my family today. I still feel guilt and grief of every person they have taken from me.

“That doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt,” Lexa said. It was like she read my mind.

I quickly changed the subject to something more lighthearted. “Where are the pictures of you? Got any embarrassing paintings of you as a baby?” I asked.

Lexa noticed my aversion, but didn’t comment on it. She laughed. “Even if I had, I think I would’ve burned them by now. I was a chubby one back then.”

I chuckled lightly. “The more of a reason to have them. I bet your cheeks were cute.” She blushed and had an embarrassed smile.

The sudden realization that I’ll probably have to meet the king struck me. My smile faded and was replaced by a look of panic. “Oh my gosh. I’m going to have to meet you father.”

“It shouldn’t be any worse than when you met me.” She tried calming me down, but that only made me more nervous.

“Did we have the same encounters? If I remember correctly, the first time I came stumbling out of a cloud of remnants from an explosion. Then the second time, I held a squirming Raven on my back and then tripped, both of us faceplanting. Of course, how can I forget Princess Costia? That was the worst one yet. I completely tackled her in public. Yes, great introductions. Maybe this time I can trip all over the king too,” I finished sarcastically.

Lexa looked like she was trying to stop herself from laughing. “Okay, I will admit the Costia thing was pretty bad. I will warn you, she will also be joining us. However, our first two encounters were a surprise to you. I caught you off guard with my appearance. Now you know ahead of time that you have to meet him.”

I nodded at her, but it didn’t make me feel any better. Throwing Princess Costia into this definitely won’t help things.

She could sense how I was feeling. “Come on. Let’s continue. It’ll get your mind off it.” 

We walked toward a door on our right. “Through those doors is the throne room.” She gestured to a beautifully crafted wooden door with their symbol on it at the straight at the end of the hall. Two guards were posted outside of it. “We probably shouldn’t go in now.”

We walked through a few more rooms until we reached a door that led outside. “Out here are the training grounds. We can judge your friends skill and maybe I can make you take up my offer for joining me in archery.”

It was big. There were different areas for everything: archery, swordsmanship, discipline, strength, running. There were a few places where instead of grass, there was dirt. They were sparring pits. One of them was occupied currently by Bellamy and a dark skinned woman who was obviously a very skilled warrior. Other guards, along with Atom, Harper, and Monroe, surrounded the pit cheering.

Lexa and I joined them. Bellamy was keeping up pretty well, considering he was facing someone who was more experienced than he was.

The woman was so fast with her attacks. Most of them landed on Bellamy and the one’s he blocked, he barely made it in time. His lip was bleeding and bruises were probably going to appear later all over his body.

His sword was hit to the side and a kicked to his ribs followed right after. He flew back on the ground, landing on his back. The woman stood over him and pointed her sword to his chest. “Yield,” she said.

Bellamy’s breaths were coming out heavy and fast. I could tell by the look in his eye that he wasn’t going to. He better have something up his sleeve because this woman looked like she was willing to kill him if he didn’t yield.

Bellamy looked into the distance above the woman’s head. He acted as if something was about to hit or attack them from above. His arms went up to block his face. The woman, confused, looked around to see what was happening.

Bellamy took her distraction to his advantage and swept her off her feet. She fell hard on her back. Bellamy stepped on her wrist that held her sword, making her drop it. Now he was the one who stood over her with his sword pointed at her chest.

“Yield,” he said.

“I yield,” the woman said.

I can’t believe that worked. That was the most idiotic thing I had ever witnessed. How did someone as talented as this woman, fall for that? Bellamy could be such an idiot sometimes, except this time his idiocy worked. I still didn’t understand how.

I walked over to him as he was exiting the pit. “You idiot. That could’ve ended badly. That was such a stupid idea,” I scolded him.

“Calm down Princess. Where’s my congratulation? I just won a fight against the war chief.” He smiled at me.

I slugged him in the arm. Lexa interrupted us. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but Indra wants a word with you Bellamy.”

Their conversation wasn’t private. The war chief talked so everyone could hear. “I’ll admit that I was stupid to fall for that trick, but know that trickery will not get you as far as skill. Next time we fight, I expect your skill to match mine. I will not be falling for your jokes in the future.” She walked away before Bellamy could reply.

“She always fights new recruits to evaluate them,” Lexa explained. “She was not happy with his trickery, but I could tell she was impressed by his skill.”

“Honestly, that was one of his stupidest moments,” I assured her.

Just then a servant came up to Lexa. “Your highness.” She curtsied. “I was told to bring you this letter.”

“Thank you, Helen,” Lexa replied and then the servant scurried off. She read the letter. “I’m sorry, Clarke, but I have to take care of something really quick. I’m sure the sparring will entertain you while I’m gone, you could join in if you’d like. I’ll meet you back here in a few minutes.”

She trekked back to the castle and disappeared inside. I turned my attention back to my friends.

“Have all of you been evaluated?” I asked.

“Yes. I think mine went well,” Atom said.

Monroe let out a short laugh. “She had you on your butt in a minute.”

“In my defense, they use a different fighting style than we are used to.” His confidence was not shaken.

“It’s hard to tell how well we did in her eyes.” Harper looked deep in thought. “Indra is hard to read.”

Bellamy threw his arm around my shoulders. “I think our princess needs to be evaluated.”

My eyebrow raised. “And who would I be evaluated by?”

“Me, of course,” replied Bellamy.

“Alright, you’re on.” 

We walked into the pit where some guards had left to continue their training. Others still stood around talking, waiting for their war chief to return. 

We each grabbed a sword from a wooden rack next to the pit. The sword was unbalanced for me, a little to heavy. It shouldn’t be too much of a problem.

We circled each other for the first minute, daring the other to strike first. Bellamy broke first. He did always have a problem with patience. I blocked his first strike and from there on the fight picked up speed. 

Atom was right. The royal guards have a different more formal fighting style. Theirs was more patient and slightly more defensive. Ours was skillfully messy. We refused to let our opponents gain any type of rest.

Mine and Bellamy’s skill was almost evenly matched. I was barely the better fighter than Bellamy.

Our swords clashed repeatedly, sending out sparks if we hit them just right. At one point, we both went for an attack. We also both tried to save the situation in the same way; turning our attack into a block. The swords clashed loudly together. The vibration ran painfully up my arm causing me to drop the sword. Bellamy’s superior strength allowed him to hold onto his.

“Well Princess, looks like you’re in a bit of a predicament,” Bellamy said.

I grinned at him. “I’ve beat you with worse odds.”

He swiped the sword high and I ducked. In a fluid motion, before I could fully recover, he swiped low. I jumped the blade. I had to get close to him so that his sword would be useless.

I pushed forward, but he knew what I was trying to do. He backed up, mirroring my steps, trying to keep me at a distance.

He threw a quick jab at my torso. I barely had time to dodge it. He smirked thinking he found a weakness. He lunged this time, but I saw it coming and easily side stepped it. He went for another one, but feigned the jab, instead slashing down diagonally. I rolled under the blade out of the way. I popped up almost directly behind him.

He tried recovering by throwing his elbow back at my head. The arm he threw held the blade. I wrapped my arm around the bend of his arm. What I did next, you could miss it if you blinked. I stepped on his hip, propelling myself upward where my other leg was thrown in front of his neck. I twisted my body backwards, throwing both of us to the ground. My leg that I used to hoist myself up now locked down over his torso just under his arms. I straightened his arm, pulling on it, straining its range of motion. I had him in an arm bar.

He dropped the sword and I held tighter and tighter until finally he said, “Yield!”

I rolled backwards and stood up. He laid on the ground rubbing his elbow joint. I held my hand out to him and he gratefully took it.

Indra, the war chief, approached me. “You have some skill. I’d like to spar. What do you say?” She was a very straightforward person.

Secretly, Indra scared me. She had a scar that ran down her cheek and her stare alone has probably killed people. If I saw her in the village, I would avoid her at all costs, but I found myself agree to a fight. It was like my lips spoke yes before my brain could say no.

This is going to be painful.

 


	11. Chapter 11

This woman was insane. I swear she was trying to kill me. She went for moves that would not have been okay to use in a normal sparring session. There were a few good jabs towards my throat that I fortunately blocked.

Indra reminded me of a panther waiting to pounce on its prey. Just before she would attack, her shoulders would raise up and her head would duck low. She’d get this wild look in her eye, like she desired nothing more than to watch me bleed out.

Even though she was the one who suggested no weapons, I can’t help but think she did this to watch me die slower. 

I’ll admit that she would be a bit of a challenge for Wanheda, but right now, I am fighting just as Clarke. If I pulled out my true skills in front everyone, I’m afraid they’d eventually be able to put two and two together. My fight with Bellamy was more relaxed than usual and mostly just for fun. For one, he had already fought and was pretty beat up and two we didn’t want anyone to get suspicious. Also, everyone fights differently in life or death situations than when simply sparring.

I fear that I will have to bring out Wanheda to survive the wrath of this woman.

Her fist connected with my ribs. I felt the impact spread through my whole right side. She knocked the wind out of me. I stumbled back trying to catch my breath. Our fight grabbed the attention of everyone outside. The crowd around us was cheering, mostly for Indra. My friends, of course, supported me.

“Come on, Clarke. You’re better than this!” yelled Harper.

I went for a low kick on Indra’s thigh. She checked it with her calf. She threw a series of punches aimed at my head. I blocked them all. She then mimicked my kick and nailed my thigh. It felt like jello. I now put most of my weight on one leg.

She smirked seeing me hurt. She thought she had me. The smirk enraged me. She thought she could beat me, not knowing who I truly am.

“Stop playing around, Clarke. End it already.” said Bellamy over the crowd. He knew I was holding back.

I listened. My eyes narrowed and I took a deep breath. My stance relaxed more. I was known for baiting. I’d leave gaps open, making me look vulnerable. It baits my opponents into attacking that area. In reality, I’m waiting for them to make a move there, so I am a step ahead of them. It gives my fighting style a clumsy graceful look. 

I waited for Indra to attack again. She threw a high kick. I lazily leaned back out of its way. I looked off balance to her so she went to boot me in the chest. I was ready though. I ducked under her leg and spun, kicking out the leg that she stood on. She crumpled to the ground, quickly rolling to the side and standing back up.

Her eyes narrowed at me, wondering where that move had come from. I looked back at her, egging her to find out. Her confidence faltered for a fraction of a second and she stopped being on the offense, instead waiting to see what I was going to do.

I feigned a round kick to her head, following the momentum of my swinging leg and jumping up doing a one-eighty. My other leg finished the move with a hook kick to her head.

Her head whipped angrily to the side. She bared her teeth. It was my turn to smirk. 

We were facing each other, out of breath. I thought that I should knock some of the anger out of her. From my fighting stance, I wined my torso backwards and threw myself into the air. I did a horizontal twist. When the front of me was facing the sky, my legs landed on either side of Indra’s neck. I twisted downward hard to the ground, planting one of my hands down and throwing her over my body with my legs. 

She flew through the air and landed harshly on her back. She was a little slow to get up. I seemed to have lit a fire inside her. If there was a small chance before that she wasn’t going to kill me, it’s gone now.

The onlookers went silent, waiting for the next move.

She threw a series of punches and kicks, hoping to land one of them, but I easily blocked each one. 

The realization of how stupid I was being struck me. I was fighting like Wanheda. If I win this fight there will be talk about the girl who beat the royal war chief. That could lead to questions. I couldn’t let that happen.

She kept attacking me and I pretended to be getting slower. Eventually she was landing all of them. I let her take me to the ground. Her forearm was over my throat and her legs pinned me down.

“Yield,” I said.

Indra grinned with triumph. She stood up and held her hand out to me. I took it and she hauled me up.

“You fought well. I thought I was going to have to resort to drastic measures to beat you.” If this was Indra’s idea of joking, it terrified me.

I let out a nervous laugh. “Glad it didn’t come to that.”

“We could use someone like you in the royal army,” she said.

“I wish I could, but I have too many responsibilities that I’d have to abandon,” I replied.

She nodded in understanding. “The option is always open. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have new recruits to run into the ground.” With that, she walked away.

I’m going to have to pray that my friends survive.

“Recruits, follow me!” Indra beckoned them.

My friends said quick goodbyes to me and went over to Indra. I let out a sigh as I watched them walk away.

“That was impressive.” Lexa’s voice almost made me jump. “No one has ever come that close to beating Indra. Well, putting aside Bellamy, of course, but he used trickery. Your fight was pure skill.” 

A light blush appeared on my cheeks. “Thanks. I’m not surprised. She’s a very talented warrior. I’m lucky to have lasted that long with her.”

She looked at me in such a way that it felt like she was trying to read my mind, to figure me out. Her brows came together in concentration. Then her face relaxed a second later and she nodded her head. I didn’t know what to think of this.

“I invited Kane over for dinner also. He should be arriving shortly and I told him to bring you a change of clothes so you can clean up,” she said.

I took myself in. I was covered in dirt. My clothes were stained and I felt a little embarrassed to be at the castle in the princess’s prencence looking like this.

“Your lip is bleeding, by the way. I’ll take you to the hospital wing to clean you up.” Before I could say anything, she tugged me off to the med wing.

We walked in silence. Lexa seemed deep in thought about something and I didn’t want to interrupt her.

We arrived at the hospital wing. There were beds lined all along the wall. Three were occupied by soldiers who probably got injured from Indra’s training or maybe Indra herself. One nurse was attending all three. She noticed Lexa walked in and hurried over to curtsy.

“Your highness. Do you need me to tend to you?” she asked genuinely worried.

“No, Miss Margaret. I’m tending to my friend. There’s no need to make you busier. I can handle it. Is Nyko back yet?” 

“No, your highness. Not yet.”

“Okay. Thank you. I’ll let you get back to your patients.” Lexa seemed distraught at this news.

“No trouble at all, your highness.” She curtsied and returned to helping the wounded, but I didn’t want to comment on it, fearing I’d make her more upset.

“Come,” she said to me.

We went a few beds down for more privacy. I sat on the edge of the bed as Lexa rummaged through various medical supplies on a table next to the bed.

“I can take care of myself perfectly well. You don’t have to treat me. I’ve had my fair share of cuts,” I told her. I don’t know if I could handle her being so close to me without blushing. I’ve noticed that whenever she is around me or I catch sight of her, my heart rate picks up and butterflies invade my stomach. I think that naturally comes to anyone when in the presence of royalty.

“I’m sure you can, but I’ll do a better job and besides, there’s a lot more blood on you face than you think.” She dampened a cloth with some solution in a bottle. “This might sting.”

She put the cloth to my busted lip. It took all my willpower to not jerk away. It stung like a mother----. I refused to look weak, especially with a such a small cut on my lip. 

Lexa kept dabbing my lip, getting closer to me as she focused more. “You really got as much of the sparring pit as you could in this cut.”

She finished, placing the cloth on the table and reaching for a new one, this time dipping it in water. She cleaned off the blood surrounding the area.

“Why did you let Indra win?” she asked.

The question came out of nowhere. She clearly could tell that I had let myself be beat. This must have had to do with that look she gave me earlier. How could I answer without lying?

I couldn’t. “I didn’t want to beat a war chief in front of her soldiers. You want them to have faith in their leader and mentor. I didn’t want anyone to lose confidence in her.”

Her hand stopped moving and she stared at me, her eyes darting all over my face. I don’t think that she really believed me.

She pulled her hand away and dipped the cloth into water again. Then resumed cleaning my chin. “You’re a very good fighter. Indra was right, we could use you. We’ve never seen someone as young as you with such skill.”

“Nineteen,” I replied.

“What are the chances of you joining the royal guard now, after seeing the grounds and training?” She moved the cloth just under my chin, where my neck met my jaw.

“I’m sorry. I understand that I could make a difference in your guard, but I have too many responsibilities outside of these castle walls to abandon. I still have people left to protect from the Mountain Men. I will help you in any way that I can outside of your guard and you have my friends to be with you at all times.” It hurt to be Wanheda sometimes. Normally, I didn’t care what people thought of me, even if they thought I was a psychotic murderer. However, every once in a while, I would meet someone whose opinion I did care about and I cared about Lexa’s.

I don’t know what her opinion is, so if she found out who I am, it could potentially end very badly. I wasn’t willing to take my chances. My relationship with her is turning out to be very important to gaining an advantage on the Mountain Men.

“They took your parents didn’t they?” Again, she caught me off guard. I’ve come to the conclusion that Lexa is very smart and perceptive, and I found that I didn’t mind as much as I should’ve that she was figuring me out. It was almost like I was an open book to her and I couldn’t figure out how to close myself.

“How did…”

She wasn’t cleaning my face anymore. Her hand with the cloth rested on my jawline. “Just going by what you said and how said it. You resent the Mountain Men much more than me. You said you have others still left to protect, making it sound like you have lost a lot to them. You also get this look in your eye of this fury that boils in you whenever they are mentioned.”

“Well, you’re right.” My voice came out deeper than usual, almost broken sounding.

“You’ve been on you own since you were seven,” she said.

“Only the first few years. I found Bellamy. He was orphaned too and we stuck together.”

“Do you remember which clan you were from?”

There was that question again. “No,” I lied.

Silence encompassed us. She noticed that she still held the cloth to my face and put it down on the table. “Good as new,” she said.

 

***

 

Kane arrived not long ago and I changed into clean clothes. They were nicer than my previous blacksmith clothes I wore, but nowhere near as nice as something that a noble would wear to a royal dinner. 

I wore dark grey skin tight pants with black boots that stopped mid-calf. My shirt was a loose light greyish blue that had brown zig zag laces going from my chest to the neckline of the shirt.

The dining room was beautiful. It was very roomy and a large window gave a very nice view of the fields of grass and trees running up to the castle walls. A long dark oak table with matching cushioned chairs sat in the middle of the room.

Kane and I currently sat the table waiting for the king and princess to arrive.

“Is this a thank you dinner for you too?” I asked.

He smiled. “In the messenger’s words, I have helped with a great service for the crown and appreciation would like to be shown through dinner at the royal castle. How could I say no to that?”

“Do you think it’s a mistake to bring our people into this? What if we just put a bigger target on both the royal guards and our friends’ backs?” Not only were we putting our people in the open, but also potentially making new targets for the Mountain Men.

“What did your gut tell you when you made the decision?” he asked.

I hesitated. Kane always told me to listen to my first gut feeling because it was usually right. What had it said? “It told me to help.”

“And you are helping them.”

A door opened to my left. Bellamy, Atom, Harper, and Monroe walked in sporting new clothing. They were wearing uniforms, the ones worn by Lexa’s royal guard. The whole thing was made of different shades of black. They wore black pants and black lace boots that just covered their ankles. On their torso, they wore a jacket that had protective pads placed throughout it. On the back there was a giant gear place in the center of the upper back.

“You guys are looking good,” I commented.

“Why thank you,” Bellamy said as he gave a twirl. I rolled my eyes at him. They all sat down, Bellamy next to me and Harper next to him. The other two sat on the other side of the table next to Kane.

“I’m surprised Indra hasn’t killed you all,” I said.

“So are we,” Harper replied.

“I think I broke a rib,” said Monroe.

“I think she kicked me to another dimension at one point.,” Atom said looking genuinely concerned. Everyone looked at him with a questioning gaze.

The strangeness was broken by the king and princesses walking into the room. We all stood as they made their way over to their seats. 

The king was tall, easily over six feet. He looked exactly as he had in the picture except with a better neck. Another thing the painting didn’t capture right was the authority that radiated off of him. I would never dare get on his bad side out of fear for the unknown things he could do to me. My whole body tensed up.

What made me tense up even more was seeing Princess Cosita. Her eyes immediately went to mine. I forgot that she was attending. I averted my eyes as quickly as possible to the next person.

My body relaxed some. Lexa looked the same as she had all day, but every time I saw her, it felt like I was seeing her for the first time all over again, her beauty shocking me every time. I noticed I was holding my breath.

They all took their seats and we followed. 

“Thank you all for coming,” the king began. “I am King Gustus, as I am sure you all know, but it would be rude of me not to introduce myself properly. This is Princess Alexandria and a visiting royal, Princess Costia.” He gestured to them.  

“Lexa has informed me about each of you.” He looked to Kane and I. “Clarke. Kane. I would like to thank you two for finding us new guards and not only just finding guards. You managed to get us those who have experience with fighting the Mountain Men.” 

He looked to the rest. “And Atom, Zoe, Bellamy, and Harper. Thank you for your sacrifice and willingness to protect my family. You’ll be pleased to know that Indra was impressed by your skill.”

Servants ran around the table placing down drinks and food.

“It is no problem, your majesty,” Kane spoke up. “Thank you so much for inviting and hosting us here at your lovely home. We are very happy and excited to be here.”

The king nodded with acknowledgement. “How are the recruits getting along with Indra?” King Gustus asked.

“She’s very… a good mentor. A little challenging,” Bellamy replied, stumbling over his words.

The king smiled with amusement. “Yes. She is the best of the best. She really pushes people. Just know that everything she does has a purpose and under her direction, you will become a great warrior.”

“What clan are you all from?” Princess Costia asked.

It felt like the mostly comfortable atmosphere was sucked out of the room and replaced by deathly silence and pressure as everyone scrambled to come up with answers.

“I am from Shadow Valley. Small place it was. Not much use for a blacksmith down there so I moved to Polis years ago. A lot better business here.” Kane went first in order to stall for the rest to come up with answers. Truly, he was the oldest person in Skaikru.

I realized that I had already made a cover story, well it was true, but not the whole truth. I mention it to Lexa earlier. “I don’t know what clan I originate from. I was orphaned young, living on my own for a while until I met Bellamy.”

“Yeah, we were all orphans. We lived in a small orphanage a good distance away from here. I ran away one day and stumbled upon Clarke. We helped each other survive and eventually ran into these guys again.” Bellamy’s lie was good. I just hoped that none of them actually checked into his story because they would find that they never attended an orphanage.

When I first met Bellamy, he saved me from drowning in a river. I woke up in his makeshift shelter in the woods. He told me how he saved me and that he nursed me back to health. He said that the Mountain Men had killed his parents, but his sister managed to get away. He had been looking for her for months. I had nowhere to go and I had no one so I stayed with so I stayed with Bellamy and helped him find Octavia.

It wasn’t until three years later that we found her. Arkadia was starting to form and we were making a food run late at night in Polis. We found her in a fist fight in an alley. She had been streetfighting for money.

Atom continued the story. “Harper, Zoe, and I stayed in the orphanage until we were old enough to leave. Then we mingled in many jobs, reuniting every once in a while. We eventually all found each other here in Polis.”

We had all begun eating and as soon as the food hit my mouth, I knew I was in heaven. It had been years since I had a meal this good. The meat was juicy and seasoned perfectly. The vegetables cooked just right and the bread was so familiar and good. It had to be Jaha’s.

I hoped he has been doing all right. I’ve been giving him space and praying that the days would get easier for him. It was good that he was still baking.

“Sounds like you’ve all been out and about. Have any of you had a run in with Wanheda yet?” King Gustus asked the question in a way that said if you haven’t run into Wanheda yet, than you will eventually. 

I stopped moving and held my breath for a minute. I had to force myself to continue eating so I didn’t attract any attention or suspicions.

“No, but we’ve seen the results they brought. You don’t see Wanheda unless Wanheda wants you to see them,” Kane said.

“Wanheda is just as bad as the Mountain Men. They both kill people,” Princess Costia voiced her opinion.

“How can you say that? You’ve never seen the Mountain Men kill anyone, but they take good people. Wanheda has only ever killed criminals. I’m not saying that they got what they deserved, but Wanheda has never touched an innocent life. Besides, Wanheda saved my life. There has to be some good in them.” Lexa said this sternly and confidently. My heart rate picked up.

She didn’t believe the rumors that I was a savage murderer, or at least fully.

“How do you know that’s all they have killed? Kane just said you don’t see Wanheda unless they want you too. It could be the same with murders.” Princess Costia was beginning to get heated up. “Also, how could you defend them when you know what they did to me all those years ago?”

All those years ago? I’ve only been Wanheda since I was fifteen. That has been four years. The way she said it made it sound like a long time ago.

I couldn’t help myself. I had to interrupt. “What did Wanheda do?”

Lexa and Princess Costia both looked at me. Lexa’s expression was stoic. The other princess looked like she wanted to murder me, but then she saw all the other curious faces at the table and gave in.

“I was out on a picnic with my parents. I was around the age of six. We were enjoying ourselves, having a great time until Wanheda came. Arrows were shot from somewhere in the trees, hitting all of our guards, killing them instantly. My father scrambled for his sword. Wanheda appeared out of nowhere. They were a dark hooded figure with a bow and arrow. Father stood between Wanheda and us. Wanheda shot an arrow at my father. He was able to block the worst of it with his sword, but part of it grazed his arm. It was barely a scratch, but he dropped to the ground screaming. By the time we looked back up at Wanheda, they were gone. Father was still screaming on the ground and my mother and I were trying to calm him down. He kept swinging at us and thrashing. At one point he grabbed his sword and swung at me. He hit my stomach causing a big wound to form. My mother left my father and dragged me on one of our horses. She got me back just in time. I almost died. My father… we found him in the woods unconscious not far from where it all happened. No one speaks of that day anymore.” 

Her story made the gears in my head start working on overdrive. It was definitely not Wanheda that did all that. That was not me and if you want to get technical, Wanheda was not even created yet at that time.

“That wasn’t Wanheda.” Everyone turned towards me. “Wanheda didn’t come around until a few years ago and I think I had a run in with the same person. They were a dark hooded figure who could mysteriously disappear.”

“And who is this hooded figure?” Lexa asked.

“I don’t know, but it’s not Wanheda,” I replied.

Unbearable silence followed the conversation. 

King Gustus let out a long sigh. “Well, that was delicious. Who wants dessert?”

 


	12. Chapter 12

Kane and I left not long after dinner. The king left to return to his kingly duties and Lexa had to deal with something regarding the coalition.

I learned over dessert that Lexa was not only the princess, but also Heda. King Gustus may be the king, but Lexa is seen as the leader of the coalition. She holds an authority over the coalition that the king doesn’t. He can be diplomatic and create and pass new laws. He still has the power a normal king would. However, the coalition looks to Lexa to keep everyone united.

Coming back to the present, I was down four people at camp. Octavia, Raven, and I are going to have to work in overdrive. The Mountain Men have come after us for far too long and now was the time to come up with a plan to defeat them.

I decided to start by talking to Lincoln. Him and Octavia were talking when I came in. They stopped when they saw me.

“Clarke! How did everything go? I heard you fought the war chief.” Octavia rushed to give me a hug. “Oooohhh. Nice cut.”

“Yeah, I did and so did the other’s.” I took a seat next to Lincoln.

“My brother fought her? How did he do?” She was very amused with the thought of a badass war chief throwing around her brother.

“He got his fairshare of a beating, but he was the only one who won against her,” I replied.

Her mouth dropped opened. “How?” Her voice went up an octave with disbelief.

I laughed at her. “It was very stupid how he won. I still can’t believe it worked or that he really even tried doing what he did.”

“Well, what did he do?” Octavia said impatiently.

“She had him pinned, her sword at his chest, but he acted like something was attacking from above. The war chief actually fell for it and looked up. He took the opportunity and was able to pin her.” I shook my head at his idiocy.

Octavia facepalmed.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “He got what he deserved. He told me after dinner that she made him run extra laps. He puked a few times too. I don’t think he’ll be trying anything like that for a while.”

“Indra is not use to recruits being confident enough to do something like that. Normally they are wide eyed and scared,” Lincoln said. “She expected him to be like one of those recruits. She probably thought something really was attacking from above. Normally, any recruit in that situation would yield immediately.”

“Well, Bellamy is no normal recruit or human for that matter,” Octavia replied, taking a seat next to us.

“For more serious business, we need to figure out what our next move is,” I said. “We have one of their reapers who we were able to turn back. He can take us to the Mountain.”

“Obviously, we should scope the place out first,” Octavia suggested.

“That may be a problem,” Lincoln said. “The place is underground. Your not going to be able to see anything, unless you’re inside.”

“How do we get inside?” I asked.

“You get captured.” Lincoln looked at me as if he knew what I was thinking.

“Then I’ll get captured,” I said.

Octavia looked alarmed. “No, wait, Clarke. It’s not that simple. We don’t know what it’s like in there or what they do with people. We need to plan this out, create failsafes.”

“I agree. So let’s make a plan.”

Suddenly, there was screaming from outside. Not long after, a loud bell was frantically rang. It was our new reaper alarm. Reapers were attacking.

Octavia and I looked at each other in understanding.

“Lincoln, no matter what you hear outside, you have to stay up here. No one can see you, especially the reapers. Got it?” I said.

He nodded. Then Octavia and I rushed to battle.

Reapers were again destroying Arkadia, throwing people into buildings and hitting their weapons through them, showering the fight with shrapnel. 

Octavia and I fought one together. One of us would grab his attention while the other attacked. It worked perfectly until we got closer to the treeline.

Octavia must have hit a trip wire because she was abruptly yanked upward and now dangled upside down from a tree branch.

I was so shocked at what had happened that my attention faltered for not even a second from the battle. Next thing I knew, my head was exploding with pain. He had swung his club at me and nailed me in the head.

I was knocked to the ground disoriented. I felt blood trickling down my face and then saw it land on the ground in front of me.

I looked up through my blurry vision and saw the reapers were retreating.

“No… Who… Who…” I was too out of breath and in too much pain to talk. I managed to stand myself up and allowed my anger to give me energy.

“Who did they take?” I spoke loudly to everyone. They all looked around silently.

“Who did they take?! Find out! Search!” I commanded.

We all looked around frantically counting people, acknowledging everyone present. A few people ran into nearby buildings to check if anyone was in them. All of us were no doubt going through a mental checklist of Arkadians.

“Monty!” a familiar blond guy yelled out.

“And Jasper!” this time a brunette girl.

My stomach dropped. We lost two of our most important people who could help us with the Mountain Men, and more importantly, I lost two of my best friends. Tears welled up in my eyes, but I wouldn’t dare let them fall. I hardened myself and took a deep breath. I found a new determination and eagerness to infiltrate the Mountain.

“Clarke! A little help?” Octavia said still hanging from the tree.

I looked to the crowd of Arkadians. Two large guys had just begun cleaning up the debris from the destroyed buildings. 

“You two.” I pointed at them. “Catch her.”

The ran over and stood beneath Octavia. I pulled out a dagger.

“Oh no,” Octavia said low to herself mostly.

I threw the dagger at the rope that held her up and the two guys caught her as gracefully as two people could in this type of situation.

“Come on,” I said to Octavia.

I grabbed Murphy and Raven and we all headed up to see Lincoln.

“What happened?” Lincoln asked as we all filed through the trapdoor.

“Reapers,” Octavia replied.

Raven kicked over a chair. “They took two more of our people!”

“We’re going to have to move fast if we’re going to save Monty and Jasper,” Murphy said.

“We can’t. We have to plan this through,” I told them.

“Plan what through?” Murphy asked.

I sighed. “I’m going to get captured.”

“Clarke, no,” Raven protested. “We have no idea what they do with the people they capture.”

“We have no other option. Lincoln said that they’re underground. That means there’s no observation point. We won’t know anything unless we get inside and the only way inside is to get captured.” I knew this would be hard for Raven to accept, for anyone to accept. We’ve all lost so much. Sending in one of your leaders into enemy territory was always risky.

“Then I’m going with you.” Raven crossed her arms, reminding me of a stubborn child.

My voice softened. “No, Raven. Arkadia needs you here. All of us in this room, is all Arkadia has left. No one knows as much as we do. We are the only ones who know about Lincoln. We are the only ones that know where the Mountain is. There aren’t many of us left. Our defenses are down. Every person here counts.”

“You’re the most important person here, Clarke. You’re Wanheda,” Raven pleaded to me.

“Which is why she should be the one to go. If anyone is going to come out alive from this, it’s Clarke.” Octavia defended the plan. Unlike Raven, she understood the sacrifices that needed to be made.

I gripped both of Raven’s  shoulders and stared her in the eye. “Come on, Raven. Turn on that big brain of yours and help us stop the Mountain Men.”

“Fine.” It was clear that she still didn’t approve of the plan, but she’s smart enough to know that we’ll have a better chance of success if she helps. “I’ll only help if you go to the med tent first. Your head is bleeding a lot.”

Now that she mentioned it, my head hurt a lot. I touched a hand to my head. It came back caked in red. “Good idea.”

I spent the rest of the day and night in the med tent. Jackson patched my wound my up and wanted to keep me overnight for monitoring.

The next morning I left the med tent with Jackson yelling after me. “Don’t overexert yourself! Get lots of rest!”

I immediately went to the second floor of the main building where Lincoln was staying. Again, I found Octavia and Lincoln talking.

“How does your head feel, Clarke?” Lincoln asked.

“Better. Thanks,” I replied.

“We knew you would come right back here after you got out of Jackson’s grasp. I told Raven and Murphy to go get breakfast. They should be back soon,” Octavia said.

“Thanks, O.” I sat down ungracefully in a chair. “Did you guys brainstorm at all while I was gone?”

“No. Everyone went out to help clean up.” Octavia said while fiddling with a butterfly knife.

“Well, I was thinking––” I was interrupted by Murphy and Raven arguing while coming through the trapdoor.

“You are a cockroach in every fiber of your being.”

“At least I’m not named after a bird.”

They ignored us and continued arguing, holding the food.

“Birds are a very unique species. They can fly.”

“Cockroaches can survive even  _ your _ explosions.”

“Hey, both of your species are wonderful in their own unique way. Now if you wouldn’t mind, I’m starving,” I said as I grabbed some of the food from their hands.

We ate in silence and Raven and Murphy kept shooting each other murderous glares.

“Okay, first things first.” I crumpled up the wrapping that surrounded my bread from Jaha’s bakery. “How do I get captured?”

“The most obvious and stupid idea is waiting for the reapers to attack again and let them take you,” Octavia suggested.

“That’s unpredictable.” Raven said. “We never know when they are going to come. The next attack could be months from now or maybe it will be tomorrow.”

“There’s no way to find reapers either. They’re like ghosts,” Murphy said.

They all kept throwing out ridiculous ideas. I was listening to every one of them until Lincoln grabbed my attention.

“Clarke,” he whispered.

I looked at him and he gestured to himself. I knew what he was saying.

“We can be stupid sometimes,” I replied to Lincoln. In my defense, I did get hit in the head less than twenty four hours ago.

“Guys.” They didn’t hear because they were arguing about something. “Guys… GUYS!”

They stopped arguing and looked at me. “We have our reaper right here.” I pointed to Lincoln. Realization dawned on their faces.

“You would really be willing to go back?” I asked him.

“Yes if it means getting a step closer to ending them,” he replied. “Be warned. There are a lot of caves down there where the reapers dwell. It’s like a maze.”

“Can you map them out for us?” I asked.

“Yes, but it will probably take a few days,” Lincoln said.

“Okay. We’ll get you what you need.”   
  



	13. Chapter 13

It’s been a week since we visited the castle, which means it was time for a weekly report. That’s why I found myself hiding in a tree just outside the castle walls. I chose an area that faced the training grounds. I was less likely to be spotted over here because a majority of the guards were at the main gate. I figured it was the easiest access point for them to leave the castle. I would be able to see them and then make my way toward the main gate.

After seeing some of the layout of the castle, my friends and I agreed to meet near the main gate because there was no other way to exit out of the castle grounds that we could see.

The training grounds were deserted, just empty sparring pits and all the weapons placed in their holders. It was dusk so the sun cast a warm glow over the grounds and gave the trees orange outlines.

I was enjoying the peace and quiet as I waited for one of them to walk outside. Occasional breezes rustled through the leaves and weaved its way into my hair. I inhaled the scent of fresh grass. It was rare to capture moments like these. Ever time I found myself in one, I would take in every second, wishing it would never end.

The sight I saw next made my heart rate pick up, but not in a bad way. It was in a welcomed way. My stomach filled with excitement. I watched as Lexa walked onto the field with someone.

Even though I was pretty far away, I could never mistake the princess. The person she walked into a sparring pit with looked like Indra. My heart beat even faster with the realization that I would be able to witness the princess fight again. It felt like such a long time since I had first laid eyes on her, fighting, swords ablazing. She took my breath away then and continues to do so now.

The sunlight highlighted her figure making her look like a warrior angel. She easily blocked Indra’s attacks, doing an occasional spin to flaut how effortless it was. She suddenly went on the offense. Indra was scrambling to keep up. Lexa’s skill no doubt surpassed Indra’s.

Lexa made it look like Indra was a new scared recruit being evaluated for the first time. She managed to knock Indra’s sword out of her hand. It went flying, landing about fifteen feet away.

Instead of forcing Indra to yield, she tossed her sword to the side. Now they fought hand to hand. Lexa had not let Indra land a single hit. It seemed like she was playing with her, dancing around her, seeing how many mistakes she could force Indra to make.

I wondered how I would do in a fight against her. Honestly, I’d probably get distracted by her heavenly warrior facade. I wouldn’t mind her pinning me down and I would gladly yield to her. Woah… where had that come from? I shook my head to clear my mind and focused on the sparring.

By the time they went inside, it was dark and I realized that I completely forgot about my original purpose for coming here. A dark figure was walking toward the castle walls. It had to be one of my friends.

I made my way toward the gate. I could make out the figure as Bellamy. He stopped to talk to a guard on duty. After about a minute, the gate opened and he walked through. I made a bird call to get his attention. I hope no one would think it was odd for a bird to be out and about this time of night. Maybe I should practice owl calls.

He ignored me and continued straight down the dirt street that split the woods. I went deeper into the woods to follow him. Once we were deep enough, he whispered into the darkness. “Clarke… Clarke.”

I dropped from the tree, landing behind him.

He held a hand over his chest and exhaled with relief. “Nearly gave me a heart attack.”

“Sorry,” I said. “Anything good to report?”

“Yeah, that Indra lady is a pain in my ass. I don’t even know if I can say that anymore because I think I ran my butt off, as in off my body.” Bellamy subconsciously rubbed his behind.

I hit him the arm. “Seriously. Anything?”

He rubbed his arm. “That hurt. It’s extra sore because I had to sword fight all day a few days ago.”

The look I gave him made him give me the answer I wanted. “No. We went out as her guard for the first time yesterday. It was nothing important to us, just a bunch of…” He trailed off focusing on the cut on my hairline. “I think you have something more important to tell me.”

A wave of grief fell over me. I hesitated to tell him. “Jasper and Monty were taken.”

“No…” His head dropped to his chest. He took deep breaths as he was trying to collect himself.

“But there is good news,” I started. “We are formulating a plan to infiltrate the Mountain.”

“What are you planning?” he asked very interested.

“Lincoln is going to pretend to be a reaper. We’ll make it look like he captured me. He’ll bring me right to them. Unfortunately, the rest we can’t really plan for. We have no idea what to expect.” I don’t know why but I don’t feel nervous about the plan.

“A lot of things can go very wrong. I’m assuming there is no other option,” he said.

“No. They hide underground. We are completely blind to what goes on inside there.” I half expected Bellamy to volunteer to go with me, but he didn’t.

“When are you going to go through with it?” he asked.

“I’m not sure,” I said truthfully. “We are waiting for lincoln to finish drawing a map of the caves that run around it. He’s almost done.”

He nodded. “Okay, well, good luck. I need to get back. They guards are waiting for me. Just so you know, we’ll try to get one of us on guard duty the next time you come.”

“Okay. Good luck to you too.” We hugged goodbye and went our separate ways.

 

***

 

It wasn’t until a few days later when Lincoln finally completed the map of the caves. I had to give him credit. It was huge and he managed to remember and draw all of it.

“There are seven entrances total. They rarely use these three.” Lincoln pointed toward three cave entrances toward the north. “They use this one a lot because it’s closests to here. We should use one of the other four.”

“Why not one of the three they don’t use?” Octavia asked.

“They are about a weeks trip from here. Unless you want to travel that far,” Lincoln replied. “They’re also in Azgeda territory. We don’t want to go there.”

“I say we use the one closest to Polis,” I suggested.

Lincoln nodded in agreement. “That’s a good idea. It’s probably the least used out of the four because it’s closest to a big population.”

“What do we do if we run into reapers?” I asked.

“I should be able to keep them off as long as they believe I’m a reaper.” I didn’t want to know how he would keep them off so I didn’t ask.

Lincoln leaned back in his chair. “There’s nothing else to go over. You should just memorize the map. You can’t carry it with you. They’ll probably find it.”

“I still can’t believe we are going in this blind,” Raven said.

“Let’s do this.” Murphy smirked and looked genuinely excited for this plan to begin.

 

***

 

Three days later I found myself trekking through the forest with Lincoln decked out in reaper gear escorting me to reaper caves.

I spent so much time memorizing the map that I had dreamt about it for the last few nights. There was no chance that I would get lost.

It didn’t feel like any of this was real. I was about to infiltrate the Mountain Men’s compound after years of searching for it. This could be the beginning of their downfall.

We stood just outside the cave entrance. It was crazy to think that the citizens of Polis who resided not far from here slept at night without knowing they lived by the reaper’s dwelling place.

“You ready?” Lincoln asked me as he put on white face paint messily.

“As I’ll ever be.” I held out my hands and he tied a rope around them. He held the end of the rope like a leash and led me into the cave.

It was eerily quiet except for the occasional drops of water falling from the ceiling and our echoing footsteps.

We walked about a mile in the darkness. It was another half a mile until we hit light. It was coming from torches that were secured to the walls. We must be getting close.

We shuffled along further until we heard rukus. Gravely voices, grunts, and the occasional yell pierced our ears. Lincoln motioned for me to slow down. We crept along a wall, eventually peeking around a bend to see a group of reapers huddled around a fire.

To my horror, one of them had their hand grasped around an ankle. The disturbing part was that only a foot and calf was connected to that ankle. Even worse, he brought the leg to his mouth and took a large bite like it was a chicken leg.

I thought I was going to be sick. Lincoln looked much worse than me. His face was pale and I wouldn’t have been surprised if he threw up any second. Lincoln must be reliving memories. He probably did this as a reaper. The taste of human flesh was still fresh on his tongue.

A few reapers stood up from where they were sitting. The one who was eating, threw the rest of the leg into the fire and turned around. They all began walking this way.

Lincoln and I threw ourselves into a dip in the wall, encasing ourselves in darkness. We watched as the reapers passed. One of them shoved the other into the wall, only a few feet away from us. I stopped breathing.

The reaper was too engaged in the other reaper to notice us and angrily shoved him back. They walked further down the tunnel fighting.

We didn’t dare move until their voices were out of earshot. We looked around the bend one more time to find it empty.

“Come on,” Lincoln whispered to me.

Just as we walked around the corner, we ran into three reapers. We jumped with surprise, but quickly composed ourselves.

The three reapers looked hungrily at me and inched closer to me. One reached his hand out toward me.

Lincoln stepped between us. “Mine,” he said in a deep growling voice.

The three got the message but still looked tempted to grab me. Lincoln pulled me forward, but I wasn’t able to escape without a caresse on my arm from one of them. We continued on. I kept looking behind us to make sure they weren’t following.

Not much further, the cave converged with two other tunnels, where other reapers were walking through. Like Lincoln, they held a leash-like rope that wrapped around the wrists of people just like me, except they had bags over their heads.

Lincoln stopped us. “Sorry,” he said holding up a bag. He put it on my head and whispered, “Good luck, Wanheda.”

I froze and had that familiar dropping feeling in my stomach. Before I could question him or say anything, he pushed me forward. The thoughts racing through my head vanished as the sound of footsteps came closer.

I couldn’t really see anything, only shadows. I tried to remember the map I had memorized. Three tunnels connecting… straight away… door…

We were about to come up to the entrance of the Mountain.

Lincoln stopped us and roughly pushed me down to my knees. I heard shuffling and nervous breathing on either side of me. Then I could hear what sounded like a large metal door opening, followed by footsteps belonging to multiple people.

A shadow appeared in front of me. They ripped the bag off my head. There was a woman in a white jacket standing in front of me. She stared at me with an odd look. It looked as if she was happy to see me. I stared back with the most intimidating stare I could muster. Two people were behind her decked out in thick clothing and bulky masks.

“Quarantine,” she said and then moved to the next person. Like me, she took the bag off their head except she said, “Take this one to Cage.”

She moved to the next person, taking the bag off their head. To my surprise it was Bellamy. The woman had the same look in her eye as she did with me. “Quarantine.”

Bellamy and I made eye contact. He looked terrified and I felt terrified for him and myself.

There was shuffling behind us. It was the reapers. They all fell in line and kneeled on the ground to our left. Lincoln looked reluctant to kneel but did anyway to not bring about suspicion.

“Reward them,” said the woman.

One masked person pulled out a dark red vile as he walked toward the reapers. It looked familiar, but I couldn’t place where I had seen it before.

They put it into a contraption with a sharp point at the top. The red solution began to drain as it was plunged into his neck. The reaper fell to the ground as soon as it was pulled out. They did that to all of them, including Lincoln.

Whatever that stuff was, it was how the Mountain Men were able to control the reapers.

They were all curled on the ground with smiles of euphoria on their faces.

I was roughly yanked up and pushed toward the door. We all walked single file. I looked back to take my last glance of ‘freedom’, but only became distressed as I watched Lincoln stare back at me with the eyes of a reaper.  



	14. Chapter 14

Cold! It was so cold. Every inch of my body was covered in goosebumps. Blasts of cold water hit against my skin, stealing my breath away. I was locked in place by a metal ring around my throat. 

There was another girl not far away from me, completely naked, just like me. Masked people pulled out scrubbers that you would normally use to clean the floor in your house. They were using it to scrub our skin. It felt as if they were scrapping my skin off. Where ever the scrubber went my skin came back red and raw looking.

The other girl let out a scream.

After what seemed like hours, they stopped. I was pushed into a connecting room. It was small and empty, almost like a hallway. There were doors at either end that suddenly slammed shut. Mist poured out of holes from above. I breathed it in and instantly began coughing. Whatever it was, it burned my throat and lungs. My nose began to water.

I was hunched on the ground coughing when it stopped and oxygen again flooded the room. Someone yanked me up by the arm and pulled me through to the next room. 

It was dreery and smelled strongly of metal. There was a wall that split the room acting as a divider. I heard the guys of our group shuffling in on the other side.

On our side there was a single bench with two piles of clothes sitting on it. Two masked people escorted us to stand in front of the clothes. 

There was a prick on my forearm. I looked down to see a drop of blood being gathered into a tube that the masked person was holding. Then they cleaned my arm off. 

A deep authoritative voice filled the room. “Put your clothes on. You will be escorted to where you are staying.”

I got dressed. The clothes weren’t too much different from what I would wear on a day to day basis. They were only a little big. It was baggy pants with worn looking boots. The shirt was long and the sleeves went well past my hands. I rolled them up.

I noticed the girl next to me wore something completely different. It was a single long gown. She looked confused as to why I got better clothes.

The masked people stepped forward, towards her. They grabbed either arm and directed her through a door in front of her. A few seconds after the door closed, her screams echoed through the whole place. Not long after, it was followed by the screams of two or three guys coming from the otherside of the wall. My heart rate picked up and I wondered if I was going to discover whatever made them scream.

“Exit through the doors to your left,” said the same voice from earlier.

I came in with about five other people, but only merged with Bellamy at the door. As soon as we opened the door and crossed its threshold, we were greeted by a normal looking guy, no mask or thick clothes.

He looked like someone who would live in Polis. He was older with wrinkles and grey, almost white hair. 

“Clarke. Bellamy. It’s a pleasure to have you here,” he said.

Immediately alarms went off in my head. How did he know our names?

He seemed to read my mind. “Your friends told me who you are. We always run descriptions by our guests to see if they know anyone who wanders in here.”

Wander in here? That did not fit the description at all of how we got in here. So many questions ran through my head. 

“Our friends are here?” It seemed the most important question to ask.

“Of course. Follow me. I’ll take you to them.” He began walking down a corridor.

I memorized everything as we walked. 

“Who are you?” Bellamy asked.

“My name is Dante. I run this place,” he replied as he began to climb a long set of stairs. 

Dante… I had never heard that name before, only Cage. “What is this place exactly?”

“It is Mount Weather, the home of my people.” He took a right at the top of the stairs.

“Your people?” I asked, confused.

“Yes. Decades ago, my people were infected by something. No one was ever able to figure out what. It affected our blood and made it so we can no longer be in the sunlight. It causes our skin to boil and rash, sometimes even causing a deathly internal illness. This disease is passed down through our children and we have not discovered a cure yet.”

I didn’t know whether or not I should believe him. There were obviously dark secrets to this place, the reapers being one of them. Who knows how many more there are. 

We made a left. “Why do you take new people in then and why use reapers? What happened to the others that came in with us?” Bellamy asked.

“Ah yes. I assume you are talking about our helpers. They recruit people to come help us.” We went up another flight of stairs. “You’d be surprised how many people that passed through here that have been such a big help with coming closer to a cure for our people. As for the people you came in with, I see different purposes for each person.”

We took a right. “And what purpose was that?” I asked.

“To tend to the sick. They must’ve been frightened to see people in such awful conditions. I, for one, always am.” We took another right and made our way up another three flights of stairs.

There was something off putting about the way Dante talked. I couldn’t pick out what made me feel that way though. He was very nice and answered every question. Did he answer truthfully? I don’t know. 

Maybe that was it. I had a feeling that he was hiding something, more than whatever concerned the reapers.

We finally came to a set of open doors on our left. Inside there were beds lining the walls. It was lit by candles sitting on tables that separated each bed. More importantly, the people who resided inside I knew.

“Here we are.” Dante said as everyone looked our way.

There were mumblings of our names and people crowded towards us. Arkadians that I hadn’t seen in months stood in front of me. Monty and Jasper stood at the front.

Seeing all of them almost lit an ember of hope and trust inside me, but I immediately crushed the idea, thinking of the memories that had haunted me most of my life.

“I trust that your friends will show you around. I must be off. I have business to attend to.” He continued down the corridor and out of sight.

“Clarke! It’s good to see you,” Jasper said. Everyone else muttered their greetings and a few clapped their hands on mine and Bellamy’s back.

“This place is nothing like we imagined. The people here are nice and the food is great.” Monty spoke loudly leading us deeper into the room toward a bed in the back. We sat down.

Monty lowered his voice so it was almost drowned out by everyone else talking. “There is some weird things going on here. How did you guys get captured?”

“Lincoln brought me. He pretended to be a reaper.” I thought of how he may actually be a reaper now.

“I was out with Lexa as one of her guards.” Bellamy said. “We were supposed to go meet with the leader of Flowkru, but we were attacked by reapers. It was sure as hell a good thing Arkadians became her guards. Her other two guards were being dragged away within minutes. They don’t fully know the reapers’ habits yet. I went to save one while Monroe went for the other one. I saved the guard but not myself.”

That was one of the few things that didn’t match with Dante’s story about recruiting people to help. They only ever targeted Skaikru. Now all of the sudden, they targeted other clans.

“You should’ve seen her, Clarke,” Bellamy said.

“Who?” I asked.

“Lexa… I would never dare be on the other end of her sword.”

The image of when I first saw Lexa flooded my mind. I mentally shook my head and focused on the situation at hand. “What weird stuff were you talking about, Monty?”

“Well, the first thing I picked up is that not all of our people are here,” Monty said.

“Dante mentioned that he brings people in to help them. Maybe he releases them when he doesn’t need them?” Bellamy suggested, not seeming too convinced by his proposition.

“That wouldn’t make sense,” I said. “They never returned to camp. No one has seen them since they were originally taken.”

“That’s not all. Every once in a while, Dante will call a meeting with someone. They never return. The others are aware of this, but whenever they are called he must say or do something that makes them go with him.” Monty said. “He says we’re free. He says we’re guests, but there are still patrols that wander this corridor every now and then, watching us.”

“How would one get a meeting with him,” I asked.

“No idea. He’s the one who chooses,” Monty replied.

A bell rang throughout the corridor. Bellamy and I looked to Monty confused.

“It’s the dinner bell. You have to try the pie.” Monty jumped up and urged us to follow him. 

Jasper was immediately by his side. “What kind of pie do you think they’ll have tonight?”

“I hope apple,” Monty said barely able to contain his drool.

The dining room was cluttered. Rows of tables occupied most of the space. Where people and tables weren’t, there were ratty paintings or a collection of candles giving off light.

People were already eating at some tables while others were filling their plates. Dante sat up front observing everyone. He caught my eye and sent a gentle wave in my direction. I averted my eyes and pretended not to see it.

I put little food on my plate. I didn’t have much of an appetite. Monty and Jasper in no way held back.

Just as we were about to begin eating, Dante stood up and called for everyone’s attention. 

“Good evening everyone.” He spoke loud and clear so everyone could hear. “We have before us another marvelous feast as well as some new guests.”

Applause broke out. It was strange seeing the Mountain Men as normal people. We had always imagined them much more dark and sinister like the night they took my parents from me. Instead, like I said before, they looked like anyone you’d see on the streets of Polis.

“I would like to remind our guests that it is best that they keep to this floor only. Wouldn’t want you to wander into places you don’t want to find yourself in.” Dante looked at me when he said this. “I won’t keep you all from eating any longer, so enjoy your food.”

He sat back down but not without glancing at me one more time. 

I turned to Monty and Jasper. “Have you guys ever been on any other floors?”

“No.” Monty said. “We’ve tried to find access to one, but it’s like they know what we’re up to. A guard always ends up lingering around us.”

“I went to another floor.” Miller, who I had not seen in months, butted into our conversation. “Good to see you two by the way.”

“Did you see anything interesting?” Bellamy asked.

“It was strange. I went two floors up, the top floor. It was their hospital wing,” Miller said shoving pie into his mouth. “It had a strange smell to it, like a really metallic smell, similar to blood. The doctors or nurses, whoever they were, wore masks and gloves and weird clothes, except for one.”

“A woman with dark hair in a white jacket?” I asked.

“Yeah. The one who was there at the door in the caves,” Miller said. “I didn’t really see anything else. I got caught at that point and was brought to Dante.”

“What happened then?” I asked.

“He asked me what I saw and I said just a hospital wing. He told me how they were all sick and needed to stay quarantined.” Miller had completely cleared his plate at this point.

“That’s weird. Why would they have people going out in the sun if they know what will happen?” I asked no one in particular.

“Why don’t they just wear clothes covering every part of their body for the rest of their lives? That way they don’t have to live underground,” Jasper suggested.

No one answered him. I took a bite of bread. It tasted very similarly to Jaha’s, but there was no way it could be. They wouldn’t know of Jaha’s bakery.

The next few days I kept asking myself over and over again why their people were going outside. I wandered the floor memorizing everything, making a mental map while I held hope that Dante would want to meet with me.

I also wanted to search the rest of Mount Weather more and more. One night I finally gave into my desires. Everyone was asleep when I snuck out, making sure to stuff my pillow under my covers. I hoped it would fool a passing guard into thinking I was still in bed.

I had been keeping tabs on the guards too throughout the day and at certain points of the night. I had two minutes to get to the end of the corridor.

Like always, I used the shadows to travel undetected. A few candles were lit on the walls. They were spaced out so that there was a few feet of darkness in between.

I heard footsteps at the end of the hall and so I jumped into a doorway encasing myself into pitch black. The guard walked by holding a candle to light his way.

I tiptoed away from him as soon as he passed. There’d be another guard up ahead coming out of a hallway on the right. Luckily the stairs were right before it. I sprinted silently.

I walked on the outsides of the steps to reduce the possibility of making them creak. I made it up the first flight of stairs, but had to stop because I heard two guards walking down the stairs right above. I ducked into a hallway on the sixth floor.

I had to be more cautious here because I didn’t know the guard routines on this floor. I didn't have time to stay to find out.

I listened to the guards footsteps descend down another floor. I popped back in the stairway and went up the final flight of stairs.

Miller was right, it smelled like blood but there was another smell to it that I couldn’t quit place. 

It was a long hall that had doors on either sides, probably all the hospital rooms. There was one person in heavy clothes and a bulky mask with a cart pooping in and out of each room. They were moving away from me.

At the very end of the hall, there was one room with more light pouring out from under the door than the rest. Muffled voices were coming from it. I had a feeling that I needed to get in that room.

I could use the cart. It was big enough to fit me and had a long blanket pouring over its sides to hide me. The only problem was that person was constantly pushing the cart. I wouldn’t be able to climb in without them seeing me.

I needed a distraction. The hall was so bare and empty that nothing could contribute to a distraction.

I thought for a few seconds and came up with something. I could very easily get caught if I wasn’t fast enough.

The person was about halfway down the hall. It was a good thirty feet away. I waited until they entered the next room before I sprinted down to them.

I peered in the room and saw the nurse, I guess you could call them, placing things from the cart to the bedside table and checking the patient’s vitals. I didn’t take in too much detail because I had to move fast.

As the nurse was searching for something in the cart, I dipped in the room and slid under the bed right after I slammed the door shut.

The shuffling in the cart instantly stopped. I watched as their feet walked toward the door cautiously. They opened the door and stepped out into the hallway. They walked off in one direction.

I took this opportunity to cram myself into the cart. I took the place of a few jugs of water which I shoved under the bed and fully draped myself in a blanket. I hoped they wouldn’t notice the cart was slightly heavier.

I heard nearby doors opening and closing as the nurse searched rooms to make sure no one had gotten out of bed.

They came back into this room mumbling something about someone leaving some door open and wind.

They grabbed the cart and began to push me out of the room. We stopped in about five more rooms before we finally headed to the one I was waiting for.

The voices I heard earlier grew louder. The nurse on the door knocked. It was followed by a response for them to come in.

The door opened. There was a few seconds of silence before they resumed talking.

“He has to rejuvenate. He needs more time. If we go forward, he could die. No one will get what they want if that happens.”

It sounded like the woman who greeted me at Mount Weather’s door. The voice that followed sent shivers down my spine. The hairs on my neck stood up and pure terror and anger overtook me.

“We don’t have a lot of time. The longer this takes, the more people we lose. More outsiders will have to be brought in for the mean time and those kids will be less likely to comply.”

It was Cage. He was only feet from me. I could easily just slip out and slit his throat. I held myself back, saying that now was not the time.

The cart was right next to the bed so I slid out undetected and now hid under the bed. I moved just in time because the nurse just took hold of the cart and walked out of the room.

“How much time does he need?”

“Two weeks.”

Cage let out a long sigh. “Fine. I won’t allow it to be any longer than that so you better hope his recovery moves as fast as you estimate it will.”

They walked over to the door and opened it continuing their conversation.

“It doesn’t help that Dante is––” The rest of the sentence was incoherent as they moved further away. 

I waited a couple minutes before coming out to make sure they weren’t coming back this way.

I stood up and looked at the patient.

It was a horrid sight. The man looked seconds away from death. His skin was paler than the moon with a hint of green. The hair was greasy and hung just passed his ears. The cheeks were sunken in giving a perfect view of his cheekbones.

The crazy thing was, he looked so familiar. I kept staring and the more I started, the more I thought I knew this person. 

Suddenly, I had a dreadful thought pop into my head. It made my hands shake and my heart feel like it was going to beat out of my chest. I would give anything for my thought to be wrong.

I lifted his eyelid back and caught the hint of a bright blue eye that looked very similar to mine. My stomach turned. 

To truly prove it, I looked at his right hand. Sure enough, there was a scar following down from his thumb to his wrist. He had gotten that from trying to build a telescope to view the stars better.

I felt a tear escape my eye and fall down my cheek, dripping off my chin. It landed on my hand that was holding his. 

“Dad?”   
  



	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things happen in this chapter. There is some torture type stuff.
> 
> Also, school will be starting soon for me so updates may come less frequently.

The room was spinning. My breath was coming out in short bursts. I was hyperventilating making me more lightheaded than I already was. I could barely hear my rushed breaths over the ringing in my ears. My vision was blurred from a mix of tears and sweat. 

My grip loosened on his hand and I stumbled backwards until I hit the wall behind me. I felt like I was on the verge of either crying out or throwing up. I couldn’t tell.

I couldn’t get a single thought loose from the storm that raged in my head. I was so overwhelmed with emotions and questions that my body felt like it was going into shock.

I panicked and sprinted out of the room. I kept running, not paying attention to where I was going. I skipped steps as I ran down flights of stairs. Someone had to have heard me, but I didn’t care. 

I had accepted my parents as dead for years, crushing any possible theories that said my dad was alive. Seeing him again, made it seem like my whole life was a lie in a way. He had been alive this whole time, but was he really alive. He looked closer to death than life. Did he ever wake from that deathly still slumber? How much torture had he gone through? Would he even remember me?

I kept running, going down an unfamiliar corridor. It was darker than any other floor and more heavily guarded. I immediately ran into guards who were patrolling.

They chased after me. I full on jumped over one that rushed me straight on. I didn’t let them lay a hand on me. 

I turned a corner to lose them and ducked inside a room that looked hurriedly abandoned by one of the guards when they came after me. The door was opened about a foot wide. I closed the door as quietly as possible and locked it.

I listened to the footsteps go by just outside the door as I tried to control my breathing.

I noticed random things scattered on the floor, like whoever was in here dropped stuff just before they left. There were strange needles, vials, and thin clear tubes.

Looking up, I felt for the second time within minutes like I was going to throw up. 

There was a clear bag full of red liquid sitting on the floor. My eyes followed the thin clear line that held the same color liquid from the bag to the neck of a person. It was the girl I was with earlier in the quarantine area. She was hung upside down by her ankles and her blood flowed steadily into the bag below. Her face was red from the increased blood flow to her head, but the rest of her body was concerningly pale.

I noticed past the hanging body was a door with a small square window. My first urge was to help this person, but I thought it would be best to look around to make sure no one else was here.

I moved around the unconscious girl in a big arch. Peeking my head into the window, I realized this place got darker and darker the more I found out its secrets. Inside this room was row after row of cages. They held hundreds of people, liked caged animals.

Arms were slung tiredly out of the gaps in the cages. Some swung around, grasping at nothing. Their moans were muffled through the door.

I swear some looked familiar. I couldn’t help but think I had seen them traveling with Lexa the few times she came to the shop.

My heart beat so fast, I thought it would explode. A part of me hoped it would so I wouldn’t have to look at all this anymore.

The room was spinning again and I stumbled back over to the girl. I wanted to get her down, but I didn’t know where to start.

I kneeled in front of her and went to reach for the tube to take it out. Just before my hand made contact with it, her eyes shot open. I flew back in surprise, landing on my butt and hands.

She looked at me through barely open eyes and reached an arm out toward me, groaning. I stayed frozen on the floor. 

I barely recognized the sound of keys being stuck into the lock of the door behind me. It hit me a second later that I should move.

I went to the only place I could, the room at the other end. As soon as I stepped through, hands were reaching out for me, grabbing at anything they could. Some people were screaming, maybe out of derangement from being in here for who knows how long.

Struggling through the ocean of arms, I made my way down the row of cages. Toward the end of the row. One person in a cage on the bottom got a good lock on my leg. I tried pulling myself free, but she refused to budge.

The longer I stayed there, the more hands clung onto me. My arms were now pinned to the cages. My back was pressed flat against them. More arms circled around me, appearing higher and higher on my legs.

Suddenly, arms threw themselves around my ribs, pulling back even tighter. I wanted to let out a scream, but I didn’t.

They started grabbing at my hair and clawing at my face.

Just then, the group of guards that were chasing me earlier entered the room. 

“Well… Well… Well… Maybe we should use these people as security instead of some reapers.”

I looked at them through my blurred eyes. The caged people were clawing so hard at my face that my skin was stretching backwards.

A guard stepped up and started beating away the arms with a stick he carried. The others grabbed me, binding my hands.

No one spoke as they brought me up flights of stairs and down a few familiar corridors. We stopped just outside a door straight at the end of a hall.

A guard knocked.

“Come in.”

The room smelled old and musty with the faint odor of paint. An easel holding a partially painted canvas of a forest was in the corner. There was a desk at the back center of the room and Dante sat behind it.

“Now that is no way to treat Clarke.” Dante walked forward and cut the ropes off my wrists. “She isn’t Wanheda, after all. She’s just Clarke right now.” He looked to the guards. “You may leave.” 

The guards left. It was only him and I in the room.

The way he said ‘just Clarke’ sent a shock of fear through me. He knew…

I couldn’t afford fousing on that right now. I was more worried that I was going to end up hanging upside down with my blood draining into a bag.

“You do realize, Clarke, that you’ve seen too much, haven’t you? I’m afraid we are going to have to separate you from your friends.” The way he spoke made it seem like he wasn’t concerned with the situation, like it has happened before. He was completely calm.

“What the hell are you doing here?! Those people… you harvest their blood.” I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answer.

“I told you, those who are recruited, help us. They are the only thing that saves us. Without them, we would have died out a long time ago. Of course, your father is the main reason for that. He’s the one who discovered that others’ blood could heal us.” 

“My father would never help someone like you! He wouldn’t allow for people to be strung up and have every drop of blood drained from their bodies for a group of people who don’t deserve to survive.” I said this with a scary amount of hatred and anger. My voice came out deeper than usual, almost scaring me.

“And who are you to decide who lives and who dies?” Dante asked. 

Two more people entered the room. I didn’t pay them any attention. 

“Apparently, you think you have that power, Wanheda.” Him using that title made my anger grow. “You are no different than me. We both have killed to protect people. No matter what facade you hide behind, it won’t change the fact that we are murderers. I have accepted that and I hope you will too. It becomes easier after that.” 

He turned his back to me and walked over to the unfinished painting, staring at it. His hands were clasped behind his back.

“I’m nothing like you. I don’t take innocent lives and torture them. I have morals. You don’t. You’ll take anything and anyone for your own benefit.”

He acted as if he didn’t acknowledge what I said. “Unfortunately, you won’t be able to decide anymore who lives and dies. I’ve been keeping tabs on you for months. I’m not going to lose you again. I can’t have a Griffin wandering about free, scaring off my blood supply. You’ll do much better bringing them in.” He looked back at me. “I am honored to have been in Wanheda’s presence and be able to say I survived.”

He nodded at the two men behind me who I just now took in. One had short light brown hair. The other had longer black hair, a smile too wide for his face. I looked him in the eyes and they automatically sent me into flashes of my past. I saw my dad on his knees pleading, my house up in flames, my mom’s lifeless body, tall men in masks, and the same pair of eyes staring at me with flames dancing in them.

This was Cage. Without thinking, I lunged at him. Just as I made contact with his throat, I felt a prick in my neck. Everything became blurry and then went black.

I woke up in a cold dungeon looking place. All my limbs and even my head was strapped down to a table. I struggled to get something, anything free. 

I stopped thrashing when I heard a door open. The same two men came into my view. They looked down at me. Cage had an evil glint in his eye. The other smirked.

“Finally, I have you,” Cage said. “I searched for you for years. I’m not sure if I ever would have found you if it weren’t for… Well it doesn’t matter now.”

He stepped out of view and I could hear him rummaging through something. “Your father really was a big help. You have him to thank for being in this situation, for all of Mount Weather’s greatest features, especially your favorite, the reapers.”

I refused to believe that he would create all of this. He was a good man. I held back all retorts because I didn’t want to give him anything else to feed off of.

He came back into view, studying me. “I remember when you were little. So scared, but so brave. You looked to your father like he was some hero, like he would save the day and make everything alright. You didn’t know your father like I did.”

I noted that he used past tense like he was dead.

Cage let out a happy sigh. “Well then, I’ll start it off like I always do. Emerson you know what to do afterwards.”

I felt a prick in my neck. It instantly felt like my veins were on fire. My body convulsed in pain and sweat poured down my face. I had the urge to rip apart everyone in this room.

I was able to recognize a very familiar wicked smell that filled my nose.

A light laugh came from Cage. “Dante said he was honored to say that he survived Wanheda. I say that I am honored to have her under my control.” 

With that, he left the room. It was just Emerson and I. 

My body still felt like I was thrown into the sun. My body was still racked with convulsions, but they were slowly getting more and more spread out.

“Wanheda… I was there those nights you know,” Emerson said.

Nights? Plural? What was he talking about?

“Who knew such a young, little, scared girl would turn into one of the most feared, most notorious figures? Who knew you would be what haunts children’s  and adults’ nightmares?”

All I did was stare at him, my face stoic. I didn’t want him to know he was getting to me. Normally I was better at maintaining control. I had been tortured before, after all. However, seeing my dad alive, looking so close to death, messed up some part of me. It snapped something inside me. My emotions were able to break to the surface and I was barely able to keep them from spilling over.

I felt another prick in my neck. A new wave of burning flowed through my body. It was much more intense this time. I had to bite my tongue so I didn’t scream out.

“I killed her.” He didn’t have to say who he killed. I knew who he was talking about. “Not before, letting her watch you crumble to the ground and your father be dragged away. The last thing she saw was her daughter bleeding on the ground surrounded by flames.”

My anger was ready to boil over. I don’t know how much longer I could sit silently.

Another prick and more burning, each time more intense. At the peak of the pain, a loud ringing noise pierced my ears and bounced off the walls. The ringing added a whole new level of discomfort. I contorted on the bed trying to get away from the noise. It felt like it was shaking my brain and felt like it was making my ears bleed.

I lost count of how many times he injected me with whatever that stuff was. All I knew was that I was screaming at the top of my lungs.

I was out of breath, panting waiting for the next dose to go in.

There was a prick, but instead of intense burning following, it was replaced with glorious relief. It felt like my blood was replaced with that of an immortals. It felt so good.

I sighed with relief, going limp from exhaustion. I barely got a second of rest before there was another prick. This time followed by the intense burning.

I let out a scream. That damn ringing sound went off again. I writhed in pain and tried my hardest to get away from the awful ringing noise. My wrists were raw and bloody.

The burning subsided. I relaxed and realized I was so out of it. I was having trouble remembering where I was and recognizing faces that flashed in my memories.

I had to hold on, so I kept reciting my name, my friends’ names, where I live, anything that I could remember.

The man with the short brown hair came into my view. What was his name?

Another man popped into view. His familiar eyes with that evil glint looked down at me.

“About time. This one was just as tough as Lincoln. Time to start the next phase.” He left.

The man with the short hair began undoing my restraints. Once he did the last one, I flopped to the ground, landing on my side. I brought myself to my hands and knees.

The man who had left, came back, bringing another man. His eyes were red and his hands were restrained. The man with dark black hair cut the ropes that bound him.

A high pitched ringing filled the room. Both me and the red eyed man who had just entered the room fell to the ground covering our ears.

The ringing stopped and we looked up. There was a single dark red vial in the middle of the room on the floor. Our eyes darted between the vile and each other.

At the same time, we went after it, knowing it would give us the relief we desired. We crashed into each other, sending it flying across the floor.

We backed up and faced each other. He attacked first, throwing punch after punch. I blocked each one. I felt like I could do anything, like I was more powerful. None of blocks had hurt. I felt reckless in a good way.

I charged the man and tackled him to the floor, punching and elbowing his head. Nothing hurt.

He looked dazed so I took the opportunity to lunge for the vial. Before I could reach it, a hand wrapped around my ankle and yanked me back. I rolled up to my feet.

He attacked me again with punches so sloppy he was practically throwing his forearms at my head. I kept blocking them. 

The vial was in my peripheral. I felt it calling out to me. I had to get to it. I couldn’t wait much longer.

Finding more strength inside me, I caught his fist mid punch and squeezed as hard as I could.

I could tell he felt something because he looked shocked to his hand. I took that moment to take his head and smash it against the edge of the hard table. 

Blood poured out from a gash. He was still trying to fight me so I kept throwing his head against the table. Blood was splattering all over me, the table, and the floor.

The smell of blood brought me back to reality for a brief moment. I had just killed him. I let him drop to the ground.

I stared at my blood soaked hands. What the hell happened to me? I thought I was going to be sick.

This isn’t me. I have to get out of here. I’m turning into a reaper.

I heard the lock on the door being messed with. I quickly went over to the vial and grabbed it. 

The door opened and the high pitched ringing filled the air. I keeled over.

“Excellent. You’re reward.” Cage said, holding out his hand. The ringing stopped.

I remembered his name. That was good.

The door was wide open. I could run for it. This could be my only chance. 

I hesitated because part of me wanted to have that red liquid injected in me. I wanted to feel its pleasure run through my veins.

No. I had to get out of here.

Cage still held out his hand waiting for me to hand over the vial. Instead I smashed it into his throat and ran for it.

I was running what felt like faster than usual. I don’t know if it was that drug they gave me or if it was really happening. The doors sped by my vision.

I didn’t know where I was. I had never been over here. It was strange. It felt similar to a dungeon and no guards were patrolling the corridors.

I kept opening random doors to look for an exit. Finally, I opened a door to a room I had seen before.

A bench sat in the middle and a divider split the room. I ran through the rooms I was originally brought in until I reached the caves. I knew I would run into reapers eventually.

I thought of the map I memorized and continued along the caves. I came out to the clearing Lincoln and I passed through days ago.

Reapers were again hanging around the fire. I stopped, expecting them to charge me, but they didn’t.

Then I realized, I’m a reaper too. They recognized me as such. I don’t know how, but they did.

I passed them cautiously, afraid they would figure out I wasn’t completely like them. Like last time, one was chewing on a human’s arm. This arm sent a fresh wave of nausea over me because there was a tattoo on the forearm. Not any tattoo. It was Fox’s tattoo.

That was enough to keep me sprinting the rest of the way out of the cave. I didn’t stop there. I ran through the woods, intending to run all the way to Arkadia, but on my way I ran into Raven. She was walking toward the caves.

“Raven! Raven!”

“Clarke! Oh my gosh!” She came close to me, gripping my forearms supporting me.

She looked in my eyes and her relieved smiled faltered.

I was so relieved to see her. The weight of what happened in the last… who knows how long, crashed down on me. I felt like I was going to pass out any second.

“Clarke.” Raven’s voice was a broken whisper.

All I could do was stare at her and then… I finally threw up.

Not long after, I passed out.   
  



	16. Chapter 16

My nightmare was violent. I was a reaper running through a forest, looking for my next victim.

All I desired was the taste of human flesh and the sweet sensations from the red drug. I knew just where to find people.

I found myself in Arkadia. All my friends welcomed me back. I said nothing.

Raven in a weird muffled voice said, “Are you alright?”

My reply was attacking her. I tackled her to the ground and pinned her down. I repeatedly bashed her head in. Blood sprayed everywhere and the finishing touch was biting a chunk of her throat out.

Other Arkadians tried to stop me, but that only gave me more prey. I attacked each one that dared to attack me. 

All my friends laid on the ground still. I looked at Octavia, Monty, Jasper, Monroe, Harper, Bellamy, Atom, even Murphy. All of Arkadia’s citizens laid dead, covered in blood, by my hand. Part of me was devastated, heartbroken, but the monster inside me was in control now. It thrived from killing. It never wanted to stop.

A voice came out of nowhere. It sounded like it was speaking directly in my ears, but no one was around. It was Cage. “These people don’t matter. Let’s go for the real prize.”

A large grin that showed too much teeth grew on my face. I knew what he was saying.

I ran through the forest and through the main village of Polis. 

I stopped and stared ahead at the main gates of the castle. No one was on duty. The reapers had gotten to them all. I waltzed right in, finding the princess in the training grounds holding a sword to me.

She let out a warrior’s yell and slashed her sword through my torso. It didn’t hit me, cut me, or anything. It passed through me as if I was a ghost. I grinned as her confidence left.

I ripped her own sword out of her hands and stabbed it through her stomach. Her mouth was wide opened and she stared me in the eye all the way until her death.

“I knew you weren’t good.” The words left her lips in a whisper. 

I watched with great excitement as the light left her eyes and her body went limp.

The human inside me clawed its way to the surface too late. I caught her mid fall and cradled her head, wishing that this monster didn’t live inside me.

I woke with a jolt, out of breath and sweaty. I tried sitting up, but hands on my shoulders held me down. A cold wet cloth was placed on my forehead. 

“I hate to be Jackson, but you need more rest.” I was too tired to open my eyes, but I could recognize the voice as Raven’s. 

“What happened?” My voice came out as a croak.

“A lot. You looked like Lincoln did. You had fever and convulsed a few times. I think you’re through the worst of it.”

I finally opened my eyes and saw we were in the blacksmith shop. I was laying on a pile of clothes and blankets on the floor.

“What… Why aren’t we at Arkadia?” I asked.

Raven looked to the floor. “Shit hit the fan after you left. It’s like a civil war in Arkadia, except there are no sides. It’s every man for himself. A lot of people have fallen strangely ill. I’ve never seen anything like it. They’re bleeding from their eyes, nose, and ears even. The people that aren’t sick are fighting with each other, as in full on fighting, willing to kill the other it seems like. I’ve mostly been patrolling around the cave entrance you and Lincoln went in, just in case you came out… and to get away from it all. Every once in a while I’d come here to sleep.”

That didn’t make sense. Everyone knew that the best way to help each other and have the best chance of survival was to stick together. Arkadia has ran smoothly for years. There is no reason for this to be happening.

“Where’s Kane in all this?” I asked.

“No one knows. He disappeared days ago,” she replied.

“What the hell… I have to go see for myself.”

“You’re not going anywhere right now.” She handed me some water. “I’ve filled you in for the most part and I’m dying to know everything that happened inside the Mountain. Please tell me you found Bellamy. Harper told me the other day that the reapers got him.”

“Yeah, I saw him. He was fine when I left.” I told her after I chugged my water.

I filled her in on everything that went down. Each new bit of information made her draw drop lower and lower. When I finished, she was slumped against the wall, hand over her mouth, staring into space.

“This is so much worse than we could’ve imagined,” She finally said. “Your dad… this is so messed up! We’ve lost Bellamy and Lincoln. Hell, we almost lost you! What do we do?”

“I would like to see what’s up with Arkadia and search for Lincoln and get some reinforcements.”

“Reinforcements? Where would we get reinforcements from?” Raven asked.

“Lexa. Where else?” I replied.

“How would that work?”

“Haven’t thought that far ahead yet. All I know is that Arkadia is broken. We are practically on our own. The only ones here that can help are Octavia and maybe Murphy. Harper, Atom, and Monroe are occupied by their new duties. Uniting us would give everyone a better chance.” I had no clue how that would work out. My identity as Wanheda is in more danger now than it ever was.

I’m waiting for Cage or Dante to announce me as Wanheda to everyone any day now. They had known for months at least though. It didn’t make sense why they wouldn’t have told anyone. Nothing made sense right now or for most of my life if I’m being honest.

The silence that followed my last sentence made me focus on how much my whole body ached. I felt incredibly weak. Raven could tell I was feeling the exhaustion.

“Get some rest Clarke. Things will still be shit tomorrow. No need to rush.”

I barely let out a laugh before I fell asleep.

I woke up to knocking on the front door. I had no idea what time of day it was and felt very disoriented.

My body hurt less than it did before and I was a little less tired. I was increasingly hungrier by the minute, however. I held a hand over my growling stomach as Raven walked over to the door.

Raven opened the door up to Lexa.

“Thank goodness someone is finally here. Raven, I’ve been trying to find one of you to inform you of something that happened days ago, but no one was ever here when I came. May I come in?” Her eyes caught mine when she searched the room over Raven’s shoulder.

She looked even more distressed than she already was. I realized that I must look like death. I probably looked as bad as Lincoln had after he went through all of this.

Raven followed her eyes to me. She sighed. “Yes, of course.” Stepping aside, Lexa rushed in.

She immediately came over to me. “What happened to you? Not to be rude, but you look awful.” The concern was evident in her voice.

“That’s what every girl wants to hear in the morning.” I cringed at my voice. It was hoarse and you could clearly tell that I had just woken up.

She gave me a glare that told me she wasn’t in the mood for joking around.

I was tempted to tell her everything that happened, but I knew I shouldn’t without a plan. I felt that Lincoln held the answers for me. I didn’t know if I’d ever get Lincoln back though. I took a few seconds to contemplate my options. If I told her now, I could be thrown into her helping arms sooner rather than later.

“I’ve been sick. The area that we live in has been overrun by some disease. We’ve been dealing with that. Just came back here yesterday. I’m getting better so I didn’t want to catch a new round sickness.” I hated how many lies came out of my mouth when I spoke to Lexa. I felt like I was betraying her friendship.

“I can clearly see that you don’t feel well. Your eyes are a little red,” she said. “I’d hate to make you feel any worse than you already are, but I come bearing bad news.”

“Lay it on us,” Raven said. “It can’t get much worse than it already is.”

“Okay… Bellamy was taken by the Mountain Men,” Lexa said.

Raven and I acted like this was the first time we were hearing this. Shock covered our faces.

“How did it happen?” Of course, I already knew, but it would be weird if we didn’t ask any questions.

“The reapers attacked while we were traveling,” she said. “Two of my guards, not your friends, were being dragged away by them. Bellamy and Harper went to save them, but Bellamy got captured instead. Harper made it out fine.”

Raven and I pretended to take a moment to process this information.

“Believe me, I would go after them right now if I could, but it’s like you said, no one knows where they are. I sent out a couple scouts to try to find him anyway.” Lexa’s shoulders slumped.

“We believe you and understand. You can’t blame yourself for any of this,” I said.

The way she sat there, looking hopeless and like she let us down. I think she was more upset about one of our friends being taken than the whole Mountain Men situation. She felt like she let me down.

“If it is alright with you, I’d like to come by and check on you in a few days to see how you’re doing. It must’ve been a horrible illness to leave you like this.” Lexa was fidgeting with her hands.

“You can come by anytime,” Raven said. “Clarke would never have problem with it.” Raven sent her a beaming smile.

Lexa smiled back and said, “I should be off then. I don’t want to keep you from your rest much longer. I’ll see you soon.”

Raven walked her to the door and closed it after Lexa left.

“We have to go to Arkadia,” I said.

“You’re too weak. What if you get in a fight with someone? You won’t be able to handle that right now,” Raven really was being like Jackson.

“We have to do something. I can’t just lay here while who knows what’s going on inside Mount Weather and our camp is tearing apart.”

“But you can’t do anything in this condition. It’ll only make things worse. Please, Clarke listen to me.”

We held each others’ stare for a few moments. “Fine.”

“Good. I brought food back just before Lexa came so if you’re hungry…”

She didn’t have to say anything else. I dove into the food, noticing the absence of Jaha’s bread, but not dwelling on it.

 

***

 

It was a few days later and Raven, Octavia, and I were making our way through the forest decked out in our gear. We were searching for Lincoln.

I had definitely improved in the past few days, much faster than Lincoln, probably due to the fact that I wasn’t a reaper as long as he was.

I had not seen Arkadia yet because Lincoln needed our help first and would be able to help us more than Arkadia could. 

Dante’s words had been haunting me since I escaped. He said we were the same, murderers who killed for own benefit. The more I analyzed it, the more I realized he was right. I killed left and right, sometimes with no remorse.

I had become so used to killing that I almost didn’t feel anything anymore toward the action. I realized that I let a crucial piece of my humanity slip away from me and I didn’t know how to get that back. Was it possible to get it back after all I’ve done? What separated me from the criminals I have killed? I couldn’t dwell on it right now. I was on a mission.

We were wandering close to the entrance Lincoln and I entered. There was no sign of any movement or that anyone had passed through here in the last couple days.

We trekked on further, away from Polis because like Lincoln said, the reapers go for less populated areas.

There was a road that led into Polis not far from here.

“We should check the road ahead. I feel like it could be a good spot for reaper attacks. People have to pass by daily making it easy prey for them,” I said.

“Good idea. Let’s spread out some to cover more ground,” Octavia suggested.

Octavia and Raven broke off in different directions, making me split up the middle.

The road was wide enough for two carriages to pass each other. From what I could see, it was empty. I climbed a tree to get a better view. I still saw nothing. I studied the tree line running along the dirt road. Still nothing. There was no movement or even a sound.

Now that I thought about it, it was too quiet. There were no chirping birds or even a little rustle in the leaves from a squirrel. I felt completely alone, like I was the only living thing here, besides plants.

Then I heard something. It was a bird call coming far from my right. It was Octavia. 

I swiftly jumped from tree to tree, eventually meeting up with Octavia who was also in a tree. Not long after me, Raven appeared on the other side of the road on a branch parallel from us.

We looked down the road to see a carriage approaching, not just any carriage. It was Lexa’s. Harper and Monroe were on horseback following it while Atom and Anya rode in the front. There was no doubt in my mind now that there were reapers hiding somewhere around here waiting to strike.

As the carriage approached, we waited with anticipation, ready to leap into a fight.

Right as the carriage was catching up to us, Octavia and I were yanked abruptly from the tree by something. We flew to the ground fast, landing hard. Immediately hands were over our mouths and ropes constricted our arms to our bodies.

I was able to catch a glimpse of a reaper standing closely behind Octavia with his hand over her mouth.

I watched as the carriage came to a halt through the bushes and trees. I couldn’t fully see what was happening so I didn’t know what made them stop. I could only guess it was a reaper because I could hear a battle break out. I caught a brief glimpse of Lexa charging out of the carriage. 

I could see Octavia struggling to get free out of my peripheral.

I could hear the reaper behind me sniffing loudly by my ear. His hand loosened around my mouth before completely disappearing. He came around the front and now stood in front of me. He looked at me strangely.

The other reaper joined him. He bent down to sniff me. I leaned away.

Then, unexpectedly, they cut the ropes around me, freeing me. I stood there and watched them sniff Octavia. They got an angry look on their faces. I took their distraction to my advantage, burying a dagger in both of their necks.

Knowing who they truly were now, hurt me to kill them. They used to be normal people, living similar lives to us, not knowing what was going to become of them. Seeing Lincoln be able to transform back, gave me hope that we could save more people. However, I knew we wouldn’t be able to save everyone.

I cut Octavia free and we both rushed into the fight. Reapers were attacking everyone in sight, except me.

Normally, I’m not one to stand idiotically in the middle of a battle, but truly no reapers were coming for me. Then it hit me. I must still have traces of the drug in me that make the reapers recognize me as one of them.

The even stranger thing was I could distinguish them from normal people just by scent. I hadn’t noticed it before, but now as their scents mixed all around me, I could tell a difference.

The reapers had that familiar wicked bitter smell following them. The other’s smelled more pleasant and in a peculiar way... appetizing. 

Knocking down some reapers should be easy if they don’t attack me. I searched around me to see who needed the most help.

Lexa was being overrun by three of them. She was holding on very well. I could tell she figured out that trickery and diversion worked best on them. Her sword was somehow everywhere at once, blocking all their attacks. At one point she stepped through the legs of one of them, slicing a wound on the reaper’s back. A fourth reaper joined in.

I ran to her, climbing onto the carriage roof. I jumped off it, giving myself a height advantage. I took down two of them easily, stabbing both in the neck with a dagger. I followed them to the ground.

Lexa seemed unphased by my appearance. She continued fighting the other two. It was easier for her to strike them down because they stood confused for a split second as to why I was attacking their kind.

Lexa stared at my shadowed paint covered face. I stared back and nodded at her, leaving to help others.

I gave my assistance to Atom next. This time the reapers fought back. They were able to process I was an enemy after my initial attack.

I forgot how well Atom and I worked together. It has been a while since we teamed up on a mission.

We danced around the reapers, confusing them, ducking in and out of sight. Where there were openings we’d attack. Eventually we both delivered our final blows, watching them fall to the ground.

Anya was the next to be overrun. She layed disarmed on the ground. Two reapers held their weapons above their heads, ready to strike. 

I felt for my daggers, only finding one left. I wouldn’t make it in time if I ran. I threw my dagger. It buried itself just below his hand on the wrist, making his hand immobile. Simultaneously, the same thing happened to the other reaper, but who had throw in?

I saw Lexa marching up determined to the reapers. I followed to help her.

We fought beautifully together. Her sword would fly out wounding a reaper and I would duck under it, wounding them somewhere else. Our speed matched perfectly and the reapers were overwhelmed by the rapid attacks bombarding them.

I stood between Lexa and a reaper. She thrusted her sword forward, trusting I would move out of the way in time. I did. I spun out of the way to the side and stabbed my recovered dagger through the neck of the second reaper who stood next to the other.

The one in front of me fell to the ground and I looked over to Lexa, watching her pull her sword from the stomach of the other reaper.

I surveyed the area and saw none were left.

I counted our people making sure we hadn’t lost anyone. My heart sank as I realized Raven wasn’t here. Octavia noticed too.

Octavia ran around the area searching. I stood back up on the carriage trying to see further into the forest, hoping for a glimpse of Raven.

Then I saw movement by a bush. Lincoln walked out with a hooded Raven in his arms. He held a dagger to her throat. I heard Anya and Lexa gasp.

I stepped down slowly from the carriage. 

Lincoln seemed off, even for a reaper. He was shaking and almost seemed like he was fighting with himself. The dagger would loosen around Raven’s throat and then suddenly tighten again. His breathing was hard. The occasional grunt left his mouth.

The fight within himself increased. He ended up throwing Raven to the ground with a yell. He immediately clutched his hands to his temples. His footing stumbled around and he muttered to himself.

We all looked on at the sight. Lexa appeared in my peripheral with a bow and arrow pointed at him.

I stepped in between her and Lincoln. She looked at me as if I was insane. I ignored her and turned to Lincoln. 

He looked up at me. Flecks of red took over his eyes. “Help me,” he grumbled out, falling to his knees still clutching his head. 

“Wanheda move.” Lexa’s demanding voice echoed down the road.

I faced her and didn’t move.

“I will shoot through you if you don’t move.”

I still didn’t move and she shot. The arrow seemed to move in slow motion. I watched its line of fire and followed it to my shoulder. I was having major dejavu. I caught the arrow inches from my shoulder and snapped it in half in my one hand.

Lexa looked at me in shock.

“Get in the carriage, your highness,” Harper said.

“I’m not going anywhere,” Lexa replied.

“Trust us,” Atom said.

Lexa’s hard demeanor faltered. I knew she trusted my friends more than her guards now. They had saved her and her men more than once. She listened and got in the carriage, watching Raven, Octavia, and I haul Lincoln off into the woods.   
  



	17. Chapter 17

We burst through the back door of the shop. Lincoln kept going through fits of rampage every few minutes and right now was one of those minutes. We were able to tie his hands up, but that didn’t stop him from wreaking havoc on everything in sight.

He threw things and thrashed about. He flipped over the table and kicked chairs across the room. The bin of old weapons that were meant to be melt down was eventually tipped over and weapons now littered the floor. Lincoln managed to cut a decent gash in his knee on an ax so blood dripped all over the floor.

He started to calm down and Octavia ran over to him, wrapping her arms around his torso to keep him contained. He was panting, staring off into space. His legs gave out and him and Octavia fell to the floor.

There was only a moment of silence before it was broken by the sound of voices approaching.

Panic rose inside me when I realized that Lexa must have been on her way here.

“Shit! Lexa’s coming.” My voiced turned to a harsh whisper. “We have to do something with Lincoln.”

“We have to do something with ourselves too,” Raven said. “You’re Wanheda right now. We’re all in our gear.”

“Everyone grab whatever clothes you can find and put them on,” I ordered.

We rushed around the room, frantically throwing our gear off and putting on whatever article of clothing we could find. 

There was a knock at the door which made us rush evenmore. 

I put on one of Raven’s shirts which was a little too small on me. It clutched every curve of my torso, but it was too late to change into anything else.

“Clarke, she’s here for you so go talk to her. Keep her outside,” Raven said.

“Wait! Your face paint,” Octavia reminded me.

The only water around right now was the cooling bin for cooling freshly forged weapons. I used the cloth that Raven used to cool my fever. I dunked it in the water and scrubbed my face.

There was another knock. 

I checked with Raven and Octavia that I got off all the paint. Then I went out the back door and walked around so Lexa wouldn’t catch a glimpse of what was going on inside.

She was waiting at the front door wringing her hands together. If I hadn’t witnessed her minutes ago, I would have never known she fought off reapers. Every hair was perfectly placed and not a drop of sweat could be seen.

Harper, Monroe, and Atom were sitting stiffly on their horses looking like typical royal guards.

“Hey!” I called out.

She jumped at the sound of my voice.

“Sorry, I was out in the back,” I said.

“What was all the commotion inside then?” she asked.

I thought fast on my feet. “Raven’s in there working on her latest project. She can get very invested in her work and the world just fades around her.”

She accepted my answer and didn’t seem suspicious of anything. She looked me up and down. I couldn’t help but think that her eyes stayed fixated on my chest for a fraction of a second longer than any other part of me. “You’re looking better. Your face is a little red, but other than that you look great. I’m glad to see that you’re well again.” A small smile graced her faced.

My face was probably red from washing it only moments ago. “I’m glad that my insides don’t feel like they’re on fire anymore,” I said, adding a small laugh, trying to lighten the mood.

Her smile faded and her eyebrows knit together slightly. A second later she fixed her expression to show almost no emotion, but I could still see the concern behind her eyes. “I brought some food over to help you recover.”

She gestured behind her and Anya walked up carrying a stack of wrapped up food.

The small bit of silence that took place in that moment was the perfect opportunity for a loud crash to sound from inside the shop. Lexa and Anya turned to the noise.

“Raven can be a bit rambunctious,” I said.

There were more crashes, a muffled grunt, and a crystal clear curse from Raven.

“What is Raven doing exactly?” Lexa asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Who knows? It’s Raven,” I replied.

In honesty, I was concerned with what was going on inside. It sounded like Lincoln was having another fit. I hoped that Octavia and Raven could get him under control.

Lexa was fidgeting with her hands again and her face softened. “Clarke, I wondering if you’d like to join me in archery tomorrow.”

“I’d love to.” It slipped out of my mouth before I could even fully process what she had said. Truth was, I would be busy with Lincoln and who knows what at Arkadia, but I had already given my answer. There was something about Lexa that made me want to drop everything and do anything she desired. That feeling scared me. It could be dangerous to have such an attachment to her. At the same time, it was hard to fight.

A bright smile broke on her face that made me warm inside. “Great! I’ll be around sometime midday.”

“Perfect. I’ll have Raven make her special arrows,” I said, matching her smile.

There was another crash. This one was louder than the rest and echoed through the woods that surrounded the back of the shop. I knew something had happened.

“I better go check on whatever Raven is doing,” I told Lexa.

She kept her attention on the shop. I think she could hear the urgency in my voice. “Yes. I think that would be a good idea.”

I was about to leave, but then Anya stepped forward with the food.

“Right.” I quickly grabbed the food from her and called out a thank you and goodbye to Lexa as I made my way around back.

The door was wide open. I set the food down inside as I searched for anyone, but the place was empty. More things were thrown on the floor and a chair was shattered into pieces. There was a trail of blood leading through the door and outside. I followed it.

There was a speck of blood on a leaf every few feet. Some soaked the dirt beneath my feet. I followed the trail until I came up to a plant which I could clearly tell someone ran through. The flimsy branches were broken and ruffled.

There was a decline into a small crater like area just after it. In the center was Lincoln on his knees and Octavia slowly approaching as Raven stayed back.

I went down and observed from the side.

“Fight it, Lincoln. You’re strong. You can beat this monster.” Octavia cautiously crept closer, taking baby steps. “Remember your roots. Remember those you care about.”

Lincoln was still on his knees with his hands balling up dirt and grass. He let out grunts that started sounding more and more human, almost like he was crying out.

“Come on, Lincoln. Keep fighting,” Octavia said. “Keep fighting.”

“It’s too hard,” Lincoln forced out. His voice was filled with pain.

Octavia was now a foot away from him. She kneeled down, trying to catch his eye.

“Lincoln, look at me,” she said. She waited patiently as he fought to lift his head.

They locked eyes. “You’re stronger than this.” Her voice came out assertive. “Don’t you dare give up. You told me that the world has been trying to turn you into a monster since you were born. Don’t let it win.”

I forgot how much time Octavia had spent with Lincoln. She looked after him the most. She knows him best out of any of us. If anyone could get him through this it was her.

“You don’t understand!” I could feel the pain in his voice. Every fiber of his being must feel like it’s in an eternal inferno. With this type of pain, all one could care about is relief. The easiest way to relief was to obey Mount Weather. “You’ve never felt it. You’ve never tasted raw flesh on your tongue. You’ve never felt the pleasure of their reward. If you had, you wouldn’t hesitate to do the duties of a reaper.”

“Then there’s a reason you haven’t killed any of us or brought us to the Mountian,” Octavia said. “You are more good than bad. You control the reaper. Not the Mountain Men.  _ You _ . You are good to the bone. Right now, you are fighting the reaper inside you even though it is killing you, even though you want nothing more than to give in to the Mountain Men. You’d rather suffer through this than ever make someone have the fate of the Mountain. You are not a monster. You are Lincoln and you are stronger than this monster. Now reach inside and expel the reaper.”

Lincoln held her stare for a few moments before keeling over, screaming in pain. He fell further into the ground on his side. His screams pierced the forest and caused birds to flock out of the trees.

Raven and I inched closer.

Lincoln rolled onto his stomach and tucked one knee under him. His arms reached out clutching at more grass and dirt. Screams still filled the forest.

It seemed like an eternity before he finally rolled onto his back, barely conscious. We all surrounded him, looking down.

He looked at me through blurred eyes. “We need Lexa,” he whispered. Then he fell unconscious.

***

Lincoln’s last words before he fainted kept running through my head. I had no plan on how to team up with Lexa while also being Wanheda. It was a logistical nightmare. All I could do was wait for Lincoln to wake up and then discuss it with him.

Until then, I needed to work on fixing Arkadia. 

Even though Raven told me what was going on, I still didn’t fully know what to expect. I kept imagining a full blown battle taking place in the center of Arkadia. I was preparing myself to see the worse.

What I saw, however, was a dead village. No one was outside. It was like a ghost town. 

I didn’t know who to look for. Raven and Octavia were back at the shop taking care of Lincoln. Bellamy, Monty, and Jasper were in Mount Weather. Harper, Monroe, and Atom were at the castle. Murphy is rarely at camp. He’s only here when we call him here or he sees a reason to be here.

I opted for Jackson because I’ve had my fair share of injuries and have held some decent conversations with him before.

I pushed aside the tent flap. Jackson was toward the other side of the big tent doing something that I couldn’t see because his back was to me.

I called out to make myself known. “Jackson?”

To my shock, he jumped at least a foot in the air and frantically cleared the table off in front of him, stuffing something in his pocket. It was a weird sight. I had never seen Jackson so on edge. He was normally always calm and collected, good qualities of a doctor. This “civil war” must have really taken its toll on everyone.

“Clarke, am I glad to see you.” He turned to me. His eyes were red and little puffy like he had been crying.

“Jackson, what the hell is going on here?” I asked.

“I don’t know, Clarke,” he said. “It crept up on everyone. Gradually, people were getting more and more agitated, aggressive even. Then one day, a fight broke out and everything went to shit. There was constant yelling and arguing and fights until people started isolating themselves. If you see anyone come out of their place then they have a good reason, most likely to pick a fight with someone. I’ve been trying to help everyone by tending to injuries, but most refuse treatment.”

“How come you aren’t being affected?”

“I don't know. I guess my medical training helps me keep bad emotions at bay. I am here to heal people, not hurt them, after all.”

“Do you know where Kane is?”

“I haven’t seen him at all this week. If he was here, I’m sure he could calm everyone down some. Figures when we need them the most, all the leaders disappear.” His last statement was said with anger.

“I can assure you Bellamy and I are busy with something very important. It concerns Arkadia and if we can do this right, we’ll save all of Arkadia. We can all have peaceful lives for once. As for Kane, I don’t know where he is, but I’m sure he’s doing something important as well.” I understood Jackson’s frustration, but he needed to put his trust in us.

He didn’t respond to me, only clenched the table behind him until his knuckles turned white. 

“I’m going to fix this, Jackson,” I said. “Just know that you are helping by continuing to heal at least some while all this is going on. Feel free to come by the blacksmith shop if you need anything from me. I’m going to look around more. I’ll see you soon.”

He still didn’t reply. He just nodded and watched me exit with a conflicted look on his face.

I let out a sigh when the outside air hit me. I was going to see if I could find someone else, but a voice called me out.

“Hey! It’s Clarke!” His voice broke through the dead silence that encompassed Arkadia.

I looked around for the source of the voice, but was greeted by multiple heads slowly peeking out of tents or cabin doors. More voices joined in all saying my name and not the most flattering things about me. Pretty soon, I was being surrounded by an angry mob. I spun around trying to see everyone at once. They all looked ready to fight.

“You abandoned us!”

“You’re the reason all this is happening!”

“No reaper attacks since you left!”

“You’re no leader!”

“You only care about yourself!”

“Let’s beat her!”

“First person to knock her to the ground gets extra rations!”

They closed in on me. I wouldn’t fight them. These people were broken enough already. They were my people. My job was to protect them, not hurt them. I’m the one who has to get them through this. I’m the one who risks their life for them. I bear the pain so they don’t have to. I shoulder the burdens of everyone.

I looked around at all the faces who thought I had failed them. Off in the distance, just outside the med tent stood Jackson, watching on. His eyes looked more red than they had moments ago. He wasn’t going to help me.

“I’m not going to fight any of you!” I yelled.

“Then you’re going to go down easy, Wanheda!”

I had to make a run for it, but there were too many people. They would overpower me and keep me trapped.

I had an idea. It had a Raven flare to it. I felt in my pocket and pulled out a small silver ball. Since the first time I ran into Lexa and had to make a quick escape, I had carried Raven’s new invention around with me. I threw it hard at the ground. Smoke erupted from it and instantly surrounded the area. Everyone was blinded, including me.

I ran in the direction of the forest, barreling through Arkadians, surprising them and making them stumble into each other.

I made it out of the smoke and continued into the forest. 

“Thank you, Raven,” I said to myself. I ran all the way back to the shop.

I entered out of breath and sweaty. Raven rushed to me and thrusted a piece of paper at me.

“It’s from Bellamy,” she said.

My curiosity and fear spiked. I quickly oriented the paper so I could read it. There were only a few words.

_ They took Jasper. Hurry. _   
  



	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it has been a while. School has been kicking my butt. Midterms are coming up and I'll be posting when I can:)

I stared at the note in my hands going through all the possible scenarios that could be taking place at Mount Weather. None of them were good.

Someone cleared their throat to get my attention. The sound didn’t belong to Raven or Octavia. It belonged to a man sitting in the corner of the room who I had not noticed on my arrival. He had multiple tattoos littering his face and his expression would send any sane man running. He had a beard and his long hair was pulled back on top while the sides were shaved.

“Who’s this?” I asked Raven and Octavia.

Octavia stepped forward. “This is Nyko, Lincoln’s friend and one of the doctors of the royal castle.”

I was intrigued by this information. What was the royal doctor doing here? He saw the confused expression on my face and went to explain. “I was being held in the Mountain too.”

“How did you escape?” I asked him.

“When you escaped, all hell broke loose. You being in the room with all the prisoners, or as they like to call them, test subjects, made everyone riled up. Cages toppled over and two broke. I was lucky enough to be in one that broke. All the guards were in a panic and distracted, running into the caves and everyone else was in lockdown. Everyone but your friend. I ran into him while I was looking for an exit.”

“Bellamy?”

“Yes. He gave me that note and I asked why he couldn’t give it to you himself. He had the opportunity to escape like me. There was no better moment. He said something along the lines of his place was leading his people there. I agreed to his request and escaped and well, here we are.”

“Do you have any idea what they are doing with my friend that was mentioned in this note?” I held up the note.

“I don’t know, but I could tell Bellamy was distressed about something.” He fell silent looking over to an unconscious Lincoln laying a bundle of blankets. “I have to admit, I had no hope for him once I found out he was a reaper. I’d never seen or heard of a reaper being turned back to normal.” Nyko looked at me. “Also never thought I’d be in the presence of Wanheda. It’s an honor, I suppose. I’ve never heard of anyone else bringing back people from the dead, must have extended your specialty to bringing people back from reapers.”

At this point, I was barely shocked he knew. Lincoln figured it out and so did Dante. More people than I’d like knew. The fact that Nyko didn’t have an immediate bad reaction was a good sign.

“You’re not afraid I’m going to rip out your throat or something?” I half joked.

He smiled. “I’ve heard the rumors. I was never sure what to believe, but now I know. You’re human.”

His answer was nothing like I had expected. “What do you mean?”

“You have a heart. You feel. You’re like the rest of civilization, maybe with more responsibilities though. You have your own struggles, friends, family, happy moments. However, there is something special about you compared to the average person. I haven’t quite put my finger on it yet.” He looked to Lincoln again. “The Wanheda I’ve heard about would never have taken in a reaper and returned him to normal. Especially not twice.”

It was more Octavia this second time, but that didn’t matter. What mattered was he saw the purpose behind Wanheda. I hoped it was the only thing he’d ever see. Dante was right in a way. I was similar to him, killing for the protection of my own people, of the kingdom I lived in. Wanheda wasn’t as good as I made her out to be. The more I thought about it, the more the line faded between the rumors and reality.

I realized I was quiet for a beat too long. “Thank you, but I would still appreciate it if you kept that a secret, as in not tell a soul.”

“Of course. I figured you wouldn’t want that to spread. You can trust me. A friend of Lincoln’s is a friend of mine.”

I felt like Nyko was someone I could trust. He understood me to an extent and I could tell he wanted nothing more than to see Lincoln get better. “Thank you. Do you have to get back to the castle soon? I can arrange an escort back.”

“No thank you. I would like to stay and tend to Lincoln, if that’s alright with you.” He knelt by Lincoln as he said this, putting a hand to his forehead.

“You’re welcomed to stay. I’m glad you’d prefer to stay because I really didn’t feel like traveling to the castle, to be honest. I could do with a good night's sleep.”

“Well, in that case, I won’t keep you up any longer. Good night, Clarke.”

“Good night.” I turned and ushered Raven and Octavia to the back corner with our table which was miraculously still standing. The same couldn’t be said for the chairs.

“Arkadia is in much worse shape than I thought,” I said.

“Yeah. What the hell happened?” Octavia asked. “You came back looking like you ran all of the streets of Polis.

“They all gained up on me, thought I abandoned them, said that I wasn’t a good leader. I barely escaped and let me just say, thank you Raven. If it weren’t for your little smoke ball invention, I wouldn’t be standing here right now.”

Raven wore a confident smirk.

I ignored her and continued. “There was one thing that stood out to me. Jackson wasn’t angry like the rest. He even seemed to still be on my side, but at the same time, he watched as everyone closed in to take me down. He had no intention of stepping in.”

“I don’t think I would have either if it was two against a mob,” Raven said.

“You know you would’ve helped in some way though,” Octavia said, knowing Raven like the back of her hand. “And so would I.”

“There was something different though about the way he looked at me. It unnerved me in a way.” I thought back to his watery bloodshot eyes.

Raven let out a loud yawn.

“Listen guys, it’s late. We should worry about this tomorrow after some sleep,” Octavia suggested. “Besides, I believe Clarke has a date with the lovely princess tomorrow.”

“Oh yeah. Princess and the princess have a date tomorrow. Are you going to shoot a love arrow into Lexa like Cupid, Clarke?” Raven joked.

“Ha Ha. Very funny,” I said sarcastically. “I’m going to bed.”

I fell asleep on the hard ground to Raven making a constant stream of jokes about how I was going to be Cupid tomorrow.

 

***

 

I woke up to loud banging and yelling coming from the front door.

“Give me Clarke Griffin! Show yourself! You coward!” More banging ensued on the door.

My full name being shouted across Polis alarmed me. I shot straight up, as well as the rest of the inhabitants of the shop.

I ran out the back and wrapped around the side, peaking at the front door. It was a familiar dark haired and dark skinned Skaikru man. I had spoken to him a handful of times and didn’t know him too well. I believe his name was John. I had seen him hanging around Murphy a few times. “Clarke Griffin get out here!”

I walked toward him. “John, calm down.” I spoke calmly hoping he would lower his voice to my level. My presence only seemed to anger him more. 

“Calm down? Calm down? You expect me to calm down after you left us!” He lunged at me and spun me around, pinning me to the wall. I let him. I wasn’t going to hurt him. He held a knife to my throat. It pressed deep enough into my skin that it drew a small line of blood.

I stared him in the eyes and he did the same. His eyes were filled with tears and something that made my stomach drop. 

Raven and Octavia rounded the corner and came to a stop once they saw the situation at hand.

“John, put the knife down! You don’t want to do this,” Octavia said.

“Yes, I do, and you would too if you weren’t so blind. See who she really is!”

Movement in my peripheral caught my attention. Not far down the road, Lexa was on horseback, riding with her guards. Great. Just in time for the show. There can never be just one thing to focus on. When one thing happens, everything decides to happen in that moment too. I couldn’t focus on her at the moment as much as I would’ve liked to.

“She’s selfish! She doesn’t care about any of us! She only cares about herself. Isn’t that right, Clarke? You’re out here saving your own ass while the rest of us are alone at Arkadia fighting for our lives.”

“John, you don’t know what you’re saying right now. I am still protecting you. I haven’t abandoned you or anyone.” I tried diffusing the situation, but didn’t do much. I knew it was a lost cause.

He pressed the knife harder into my throat now making blood drip down my neck. He ignored what I had said. “Can’t you guys see? She never cared about any of you. Clarke used us to gain a name for herself, to gain power. When danger presented itself, she ran to save herself, leaving all of us to deal with the mess ourselves.” He received no sound from Raven or Octavia which made his anger spike evenmore. “I see how it is. You guys are in her inner circle of friends. She protects you guys but not the others she promised. You promised us, Clarke. You promised us that you would protect us and that you would help us bring our families justice, bring us the peaceful lives we desired.” 

“I’m doing the best I can.” My voice came out broken. He hit me in all my doubts. I had promised them that, but hadn’t delivered much. Most of Arkadia resided either in Mount Weather or six feet underground. It was true that I was doing my best. I barely slept anymore. I would either be awake planning our next move to stop the Mountain Men or have my sleep interrupted by nightmares of my dad’s skeleton of a body. I had made progress, finding out what goes on inside the mountain. I found out more than I liked. I was dealing with both my problems and other’s. This is what it meant to be a leader. I have to shoulder everyone’s burdens as well as my own.

“Well that’s not good enough!” Those words pierced my heart, confirming all my doubts. “You escaped your punishment yesterday. You won’t escape it today.” With those words there was a powerful commanding yell.

“STEP BACK!” It was Lexa. “The Princess of Polis and Heda commands you to put your knife down!” Her commanding voice echoed the streets and made me want to drop to my knees and bow to her.

I could visibly see her voice shaking the core of John. His eyes widened and he involuntarily released some pressure off my throat out of fear. He continued looking at me, contemplating what to do. There was a tense silence in his moments of decision. No one moved an inch or even breathed. I know I was holding my breath. It seemed like hours ticked by waiting for someone to make a move. Finally, John made a decision.

Whatever that decision was, I wouldn’t find out. Lexa threw a dagger, burying it in his calf, making him crumple to his knee. He dropped his knife, instead clutching at the dagger that rested in his left calf. He screamed in pain. The shop owners that surrounded us were now outside watching what was going on as well as those wandering the streets.

Lexa had a deadly look in her eye as she started marching forward. I held my hand out to her. “Stop. Please,” I said. She stopped and looked at me questioningly. John gave me one last murderous look and made a move to run away. Lexa and her guards tensed. “Let him go!” I said. Lexa told her men to stand down. I didn’t want to seem any more like a traitor to him. He was mad at me, not anyone else. Knowing him to an extent, I trusted that he wouldn’t do anything to harm anyone else. He was only mad at me.

I watched John limp away into the woods. Lexa walked up to me. “This is not how I was hoping to start this trip.”

“Never a dull moment,” I said. “Thank you for that. Your timing couldn’t have been better.”

“Of course,” She said genuinely and as if she would do it again in a heartbeat if needed.

“Could you give me a few minutes? I need to change into more appropriate attire,” I said.

She looked me up and down and saw that I was clearly not in clothing suitable for archery. I had a long sleeve baggy shirt as well as baggy pants that looked like they once belonged to a man. “Go right ahead. I’ll be waiting.”

I disappeared back inside the shop and started changing while also discussing what had just transpired with Octavia and Raven. Nyko sat quietly on the floor tending to Lincoln who was throwing up.

“He had flecks of red in his eyes. You know what that means,” I said while putting my pants on.

“Are you sure?” Octavia asked. “There’s no way he could’ve. The Mountain Men never captured him. He’s been at Arkadia this whole time.”

“I know what I saw. There was no mistaking it.” I was sure he had somehow come across that mysterious red drug the Mountain Men were so fond of using. I just didn’t know how.

“Okay. Right now, you need to go with Lexa,” Raven said. “Octavia and I will go and try to track down John. If that doesn’t work, we’ll stake out Arkadia looking for answers”

I met Lexa back out front. I changed into tight black durable pants and a skin tight tan shirt with a hood. I had a brown leather vest over it. I wore my bow diagonally across my body rather as a belt to not give it away as Wanheda’s bow. Lexa took me in. I broke her silent staring by saying, “You ready to go?”

“Oh, yes.” She walked over to her horse. “I brought you a horse too.” Standing next to her jet black horse was a bright white one. I climbed on easily and grabbed the reins.

“Don’t worry,” I said. “I have Raven’s special arrows.”

She laughed. “Thank God. I don’t know what I would’ve done without them.”

The first ten minutes of the journey was ridden in silence. Harper and Atom were far ahead of us giving Lexa and I privacy to talk. Monroe and Anya did the same thing except they trailed us.

The whole time I kept replaying what John had said over and over again. I tried piecing together the connection between him and the red drug. I thought about what was happening to Jasper in Mount Weather and wondered how many more had been taken. I wondered what had happened to my dad and what his current state was. Had it worsened? Then I thought about how Lexa had been a witness to one of my own people preparing to murder me. She had not said a word about it. I know she had questions racing through her head. I stared at her out of the corner of my eye. She too looked deep in thought.

I finally broke the silence. “You haven’t said anything about what just happened.”

She looked at me, trying to read my face. “I wasn’t sure if you wanted to talk about it. I thought it would be safer not say anything unless you brought it up.”

I was very appreciative that Lexa thought this way. She was so selfless, always thinking of others before herself, putting aside her curiosity for my comfort.

“I know you have questions running through your head. To summarize the situation, I once told you that I had people to protect. He’s one of them. Him and a few others feel like I’ve abandoned them, which is far from the truth.” I let out a long sigh. “They don’t understand the sacrifices I’ve made for them.”

“Being a leader is complicated,” Lexa said, staring straight ahead. “No one can fully understand what it is like to be leader unless they are put in the position of one. It’s not glamorous. There is never a fully good solution to a problem. There is only a better one. There’s always something to sacrifice. That’s what people don’t understand.”

Lexa read my mind, all of my struggles. While I lead something much smaller, we both understood the struggles of a leader. The thing is though, she was so much better at it. My people turned their back on me thinking I did the same to them. What kind of leader have I been to make them do such a thing? Lexa controlled something much bigger and greater than I did. Thousands of people were loyal to her. I’m having trouble with only what’s left of one hundred people.

“It’s not your fault.” Lexa read my mind again. “What you see and know is more than what they do. They just don’t have enough faith.”

“Wouldn’t that be my fault then? Them not having faith in me? Have I not shown that I am trustworthy? There has to be some gap between me and them.” I let them know what they need to know. After something big happens, I normally brief all of Arkadia. It’s not like I’m keeping them in the dark. Currently, I’m holding back on information about Mount Weather because I want to have some sort of plan before I bring it to their attention. I had made that mistake before when the reapers first attacked. It turned into a revolt and impulsive actions.

“I think in this case, it is more a matter of impatience. Obviously, everyone is frustrated and tension is rising. They need to find a way to relax, much like what you are doing now. I’m sure you’ll feel better after putting a few arrows in some targets.” Lexa looked at me and gave me a smile. I smiled back, but it faded quickly as I thought of the flecks of red embedded in the iris of John’s eyes.

We rode in silence mostly the rest of the way. It wasn’t much further. We finally entered a large clearing. It was beautiful. It looked like it wasn’t touched by any human, other than the few targets further down the grass field. The guards spread out around the perimeter to keep watch and to give us privacy. Lexa and I dismounted our horses and began to walk closer to the targets.

“Alright, Princess Alexandria of Polis, let’s see what you can do.” I handed her one of Raven’s arrows. “If you get a bullseye make sure to give credit to Raven.”

Lexa rolled her eyes at me and then took aim. She shot an arrow, hitting the target dead center. Then she rapidly reloaded another arrow and released it. It split her first arrow. I was genuinely impressed. I wasn’t shocked that she was so skilled. I figured she would be just from seeing her weilding a sword.

“I take it back. Forget Raven. That was all you,” I said.

Lexa laughed. “And that was all you when you showed up Costia.”

My face went red. “Yeah, she definitely hates me.”

“Hate is a strong word,” Lexa said with a laugh. I deadpanned. Lexa continued. “Now show me up.”

“I don’t want you to hate me too,” I said.

“I could never hate you. Besides, I gave you permission.” She looked at me expectantly.

I loaded two arrows and took aim. I released the first arrow and the second one half a second later. The first one hit dead center and was immediately followed by the second arrow, splitting the first one.

“Impressive. My teacher was never so advanced to teach me something like that. Who taught you?” Lexa asked.

“A lot of people. I constantly traveled with Bellamy, never staying in one spot too long. We met multiple people who taught us the basics, but the person who really expanded our skill in more than just archery was a man named Sinclair. Unfortunately, he was taken by the reapers years ago. He was a good man.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. I’m sure he was a great man. I was mostly taught by Indra and my mother growing up. Indra taught me the basics and made my accuracy top notch. Indra was a great teacher, however, she is more skilled with a sword,” Lexa said. “My mother died before she could teach me more advanced skills.”

“I could teach you if you’d like,” I offered.

“I couldn’t ask you to do that,” she said.

“It would be no trouble. In fact, we can start right now.”

Lexa’s face brightened with excitement. “Alright, if you insist. Let us get a few more warm up shots in.”

We shot for a few more minutes, enjoying the peacefulness and company. Lexa was shooting one arrow right after another. It was ridiculous how smoothly and rapidly she drew back each one. There was no slip up or hesitation. Every movement was confident and comfortable, looking like muscle memory.

“What do you want to start with?” I asked.

“Whatever you believe is the easiest to start out with or the most fundamental.” She drew back one last arrow and released it, hitting right next to one of the many arrows that occupied the gold center of the target.

“I suggest shooting two arrows at once.” I loaded up two arrows. “It’s not as hard as it sounds. All you have to do is stack a second arrow on top of the original one and shoot it like you normally would. The only difference is that you might have to aim a little higher than usual due to the added weight of the second arrow.” Lexa mimicked my grip. 

“It’ll take some getting used to.” I reached forward and adjusted her grip slightly so it was less awkward. Heat rose to her face. I moved close behind her to explain how to aim. “Aiming can be tricky. The added weight and having arrows stacked on top of each other can throw off your aim.” I adjusted her arms higher so that she was aiming higher. “Remember to aim higher. Adding an arrow can also take away some power behind the bow. I prefer using multiple arrows with closer targets.”

Lexa nodded her head in understanding and set her face with determination. She planted her feet more firmly and took aim. Her release was longer than usual due to the new method of shooting. Both hit the target. One was high and the other was just below the center.

“Wow. That wasn’t bad at all. In fact that was really good for your first time! Your just amazing at everything.” I honestly was impressed, again not surprised. At this point I shouldn’t be surprised that Lexa is good at everything.

Lexa’s face went red. “I’m not good at everything. I have my flaws like any other person. I give credit to my teacher.” Now it was my turn to go red.

I held up my hands. “Hey, I barely said anything. You did the action. Now let’s see how quickly you can hit a bullseye with both of them.”

We continued practicing and I kept giving Lexa more and more tips. She was improving pretty fast. Her aim for both arrows was inching closer and closer toward the center of the target. Eventually we had enough and decided to sit in a shaded spot under a tree.

We sat in silence, listening to the wind gust through the trees and grass. Lexa broke the silence first. “This was nice. We should do this again sometime. I would love to learn more techniques.”

I gently smiled at her. “I look forward to it. You were right. It really does relieve stress. It’s like as soon as you pass into this clearing, the rest of the world ceases to exist."

“I know what you mean.” She held my stare with a look of ease that I had never seen her wear before. All the times before, there was always something weighing down on her. Perhaps all of her responsibilities and maybe some of her past, but right now, she looked younger and stress free, as if she wasn’t Heda or next in line for the throne. She was just a woman who sought the same thing as everyone else, happiness. I couldn’t tear my eyes away from her. Lexa complimented the nature that encompassed us. The wind intertwined and mingled with her hair and the sun emphasized every perfection about her.

The moment ended when I saw something flash behind her eyes. Lexa looked down to her fidgeting hands with something concerning on her mind.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing, really. I just… I feel like you hold back on a lot of things.” She paused, collecting her thoughts. “When I ask you questions or even when you’re showing off a particular skill, you seem like you hesitate to truly show yourself. I understand that you shouldn’t trust people so easily, but I want you to know that you can trust me. You can let me in, not as a royal of this land who is supposed to protect and help you, but as a friend.”

I never thought in my life that I would be in a situation like this. I’m sat in a field talking to the Princess of Polis just after practicing archery with her, and now she’s telling me I can trust her as a friend. Where did I go right in my life and how can I do it again?

At the same time with my astonishment, I can’t help but feel guilty. As always, Wanheda is circling in my head. Every time I see Lexa, the more I want to tell her. It would be so much easier to tell her, but I fear that I will ruin my relationship with her and a potential ally against Mount Weather by doing so.

“I  _ do _ trust you,” I said. “I’m just not good at opening up to people. I’ve been hurt by a lot of people in my time. It’s become a habit, I suppose, to distance myself. I don’t mean to hurt you by it. In time I’ll open up more and more.”

“I understand. I don’t mean to pressure you into feeling like you owe me every detail of yourself. It just felt like you didn’t fully trust me. I understand now that you do and I trust you in return. You gave me my guards who, by the way, helped protect me from another reaper attack.”

“Helped?” I acted as if I didn’t already know what happened.

“Yes. Wanheda showed up again, but I don’t know how to feel about them this time.” Lexa looked to be in deep thought, recounting the event.

“What do you mean?” I asked.

“They helped me, but they have some weird connection with the reapers.” I felt sick from just thinking about my moments as a reaper. “The reapers didn’t attack Wanheda or even acknowledge her at some points. The strangest thing, though, was they protected a reaper, a former guard and friend of mine.” Her eyes glazed over as she thought about Lincoln.

“I’m sorry to hear about your friend.” I tried offering some type of condolence.

“Thank you. It’s in the past now,” Lexa said.

“That doesn’t mean it still doesn’t hurt.” She looked at me and I could see her jaw clench, trying to keep her emotions at bay.

“We have more important things to tend to at the moment rather than the past. I’m concerned as to why Wanheda would risk their life to protect a reaper. I thought they were on our side.” She looked at me expectantly like I had the answers to all her questions, which I did.

“I’m sure they had their reasons. I think Wanheda taking part in two different instances to help you is proof enough that they’re on your side at least.” I’m slowly starting to realize that it is inevitable the truth about me will be revealed to Lexa. I need Lexa’s help, but I’m not ready to reveal myself yet.

“I hope you’re right,” Lexa said. “I would hate to have Wanheda against me.”

“Maybe, Wanheda is thinking the same way as you. They don’t want you on their bad side. I wouldn’t either.”

Lexa smiled with a blush. “It wouldn’t be pleasant being on your bad side either.” She paused. “There’s one more thing, tying into what was said earlier. You’re holding back on information about the Mountain. I don’t know why, but I’m sure you have your reasons. Like I said before, I trust you.”

Before I give Lexa the deeper details about Mount Weather, I want to speak to Lincoln and the only people that seem to be left on my side. I want their opinions on what should be done regarding fully bringing Lexa in and a general plan for our next move. “I do have my reasons. I won’t withhold from you much longer I don’t think.”

Lexa nodded and then stared off into the distance, observing the scenery. I did the same, taking advantage of the peacefulness.

I’ve never met such a respectful and trusting person as Lexa. To be honest, I don’t think I could settle for the answer I just gave if I were Lexa. The fact that she can accept that so easily amazes me. A lot about her amazes me.

We journeyed back the same way we came, sustaining a casual light conversation the whole way, learning surface level things about each other, like Lexa’s favorite color is blue. All was silent when we got to the shop. There was no raging Lincoln inside, no Arkadian trying to kill me, and no Raven on my back. On the outside everything seemed calm, but I knew a storm was brewing. I just don’t know when it’s going to hit.   
  



	19. Chapter 19

It had been a few days since Raven and Octavia went in search of John. It worried me that they were gone this long. He should’ve been easy to track. He was bleeding and limping, having to have disturbed the plants and ground in his wake. While I did have some concern for their well-being, I trusted their skill and judgement to make it back here.

In the meantime, I had been helping Nyko with Lincoln. Nyko reminded me of Lincoln in a way. He was calm and not quick to overwhelming emotion. He didn’t allow himself to be blinded by emotion and was able to keep a level head at all times. It made sense why him and Lincoln were such great friends. Nyko had told me many stories of him and Lincoln getting into trouble during their adolescent years. The way Nyko spoke of Lincoln, I could tell he really respected him and looked up to him as a warrior and as a friend.

Lincoln had been using up the past few days by sleeping. He took a lot of naps due to his body being exhausted from withdrawal. Today was the first day he had energy and was awake.

“Thank you for saving me again, Clarke,” Lincoln said.

“It wasn’t me this time. You can thank Octavia. She’s the one who brought you back,” I replied, setting food down in front of him.

“I’ll thank her when she gets back. I can thank you right now for stopping Lexa from burying an arrow in me.” Lincoln said as he began to eat.

“Speaking of Lexa, before you passed out, you said that we needed her. In what way?” I hoped he would delve into this elaborate plan that he formulated while falling in and out of consciousness the past few days. Of course, that was far fetched thinking.

“You and your people don’t have enough power to take the Mountain Men yourself. Your best bet is Lexa. She has twelve armies under her command.” Lincoln knew my struggles with Wanheda. I had poured out my worries to him and Nyko these past few days having no one else to vent to.

I let out a long sigh and put my face in my hands. Lincoln let out a breathy laugh. “ I understand your frustrations with Wanheda. I’m not sure of your relationship with Lexa. Only you know where each of you stand. Do you trust her enough to reveal yourself?”

“I do, but…” I paused to collect my thoughts. “I guess my biggest worry is that she’ll reject me, be appalled by me. What if it changes her whole perspective on me and she can only see me as a monster?” 

“I don’t see you as a monster and you don’t see me as one. We were both reapers. That’s as close as you can get to a monster.” Lincoln tried to convince me.

I didn’t reply, instead I sat in silence wanting the conversation to be over, not wanting to think about what it was like to be a reaper. I could still feel the burning in my veins as if it was only hours ago I was a reaper.

“I think either way you should ally yourself with Lexa in this war. There’s no denying that you need her and I’m sure she will readily accept. Where Wanheda and my reveal come in? I don’t know, but we’ll discuss that when it approaches. What’s important now is that we move forward, which we’ve been doing the opposite of.” Lincoln’s words made me feel a little more relaxed than before. He made it sound easy, but I knew it wouldn’t be. However, he did make me feel like it would turn out okay. Now how would I approach Lexa with this?

“I’m going to go for a walk and do some thinking. Will you be good without Nyko or I being here?” I asked.

“I think so. This is the best I’ve felt. Now go and bring back all twelve armies,” He ordered jokingly.

I laughed. “Yes, Sir.”

I was greeted by a cool breeze and the hot sun. It was really nice weather and would be perfect for a calming stroll, but I knew that wouldn’t be the case for me. I always had a million thoughts running through my head. I wandered down the streets of Polis, going deeper into the heart of the kingdom. 

Dante’s words still echoed in my head and the more I analyzed them, the more I agree with him. My perspective on myself, Wanheda, has changed. I no longer think of myself as a justice bearing vigilante of Polis. My flaws are much more prominent to me now. I never saw myself as perfect in the first place. I knew there were always things I could work on to become a better person. I was aware that I have made mistakes in my past. However, those flaws dealt with Clarke, not Wanheda. The flaws that consume me now deal with Wanheda. I don’t bring as much justice and good as I originally thought. I add on to the murder and crime. I thought eliminating those who broke the law would make a safer kingdom. In doing so, I created another criminal who is much more notorious and the subject of nightmares, Wanheda. I’ve created enemies toward myself.

I won’t deny that I have done some good being Wanheda. I’m just not sure if the good outweighs the bad anymore. Then again, why is there any bad? There shouldn’t be any bad.

I ignored some merchants as I passed, who were calling out trying to sell various items. I narrowly missed running into a frantic woman who was carrying a basket of food in one hand and tugging a child along in the other. It was getting too crowded and hectic for me to think so I picked up the pace to get through the crowd of people. I eventually started making my way out of the town of Polis and followed the road that led out of it and into the woods.

I continue to wonder if there is any need for Wanheda anymore or if there ever was a need. Other than capturing or killing criminals, all Wanheda has done is brought unnecessary attention to Arkadia. Maybe it’s the way the Mountain Men found me in the first place. Most people see me as a monster rather than a protector. Even Lexa had become a little weary of Wanheda. Maybe I would be a much better leader and more trustful just as Clarke. 

What Dante said to me affected me much more than he knows. Wanheda could even be a weakness when dealing with him. My defensive response to his truthful words made it known what gets to me. It’s too late to let Wanheda go. What’s done is done. Nothing can change the past, but I can change the future. I think the best way to start is by strengthening Arkadia.

I stopped walking and looked up to the high castle walls. I hadn’t meant to come here. My feet just carried me. I’m in no way ready for this conversation. I put this off for so long, wanting a perfectly formulated plan for how to go about this. I don’t even have the slightest clue what I want to say to Lexa, but the fact that I’m here has to be a sign.

The guards took notice of me. “State your name, traveler!” one of them called from the top of the gates.

“Clarke! I’m a blacksmith who resides in Polis! Lex– Princess Alexandria and I have worked together in the past! She knows me!” I called back up, equally as loud, making sure they could hear me.

“So a lot of people claim! Wait a moment!” The guard disappeared and I waited patiently, having the remaining guards scowling at me.

Ten minutes later the gate opened. Its massive hinges groaned under the weight of the of the gate doors. It moved slowly and revealed a guard walking toward me. It wasn’t just any guard though. It was Atom.

“Ah Clarke, the mysterious blacksmith standing at our gates demanding to see the Princess.” He had a smirk on his face and his arms outstretched.

“I didn’t demand nor did I even mention wanting to see the Princess.” I lightly punched his chest when he went to hug me. 

He laughed in return. “That’s because the Princess is right here.” He poked me in the arm.

“You know I don’t like that nickname.” Bellamy originally started it. My attitude during our few years travelling together earned me the nickname. I came from a noble house where everything was practically handed to me. I had a good life. It was a drastic change to have lost everything. I went from having a home and a family to struggling to survive out in the woods with only a boy who I had just met. “Can you please take me to Lexa? Is she available to see me?”

“Well considering she sent me down here to get you, I would say yes. Come on.” He gestured me to follow him and began walking up to the castle. I caught up to his side. “Ah, listen. We had another run in with some reapers, as I’m sure Princess Alexandria will tell you, and another one of us was taken.”

I wasn’t surprised by this type of news anymore. Recently, the Mountain Men have been much more active. I was probably to blame. “Who?”

“Harper,” he replied. 

We both got lost in thought the rest of the way up to the castle. Every thought vanished as we crossed the threshold into the castle. It was just as magnificent seeing it now as it was the first time.

“She’s waiting upstairs in her study.” Atom took a staircase to our right. We passed multiple doors down a long corridor.

“How many times have you gotten lost in here?” I asked.

He laughed. “The first week was horrible. I stumbled in on the maids quarters looking for the bathroom one time. The Princess found me looking helpless in a corridor and helped me back to where I was supposed to be. She’s nice. When I first thought of royalty, I expected to feel a lot more inferior to them. Princess Alexandria makes it known that she is our leader, but she also makes us feel like we’re apart of a team, like we are equally as important as her. It’s nice.” He stopped outside a door at the end of the corridor. One guard stood outside of it. “Here we are. Good luck with whatever you need. I’ll be posted right out here if you need anything.”

“Thank you.” I turned toward the door and knocked.

“Enter!” Lexa’s voice came from the otherside.

I took a deep breath and then opened the door. The room was bigger than expected. It looked like a library except comfier. There were shelves filled with books covering the walls. A desk was placed in the right corner of the room next to one of the large windows that took up the back wall. Large cushioned chairs were placed throughout the area. In the center of the room was a couch, which Lexa occupied. She seemed to be in the middle of reading a book. She placed it on the table in front of her.

“Clarke, is something wrong? I got nervous hearing you were at the gates.” She stood up and closed the distance between us. She now stood a foot away from me.

“Nothing is wrong. Well, nothing more than the usual. I…” I trailed off not knowing what to say next.

Lexa saw the conflict on my face. “Here, let’s sit down.” She gently grabbed my forearm and led me to the couch. We sat down, but it didn’t help me with my words.

“You can talk to me about anything, Clarke. You know that.” They way she said my name sent shivers down my spine.

I took a few more moments collecting my thoughts. “I’ve been thinking a lot lately.” I paused again and Lexa looked at me expectantly but patiently. “We need to step up against the Mountain Men. I told you that I would reveal to you what I was keeping a secret and I think now is the time depending on your reaction to what I say next.”

I had all of Lexa’s attention. Her eyes bounced around my face, waiting for me to speak. “I know you want the Mountain to fall as much as I do, and I can’t see you saying no to this. I want us to work together to bring them down.”

Lexa answered almost immediately. “I agree. I have the army you need and you have the insight I need. We would make a powerful force.”

The relief I expected to come with her didn’t come. The hard part was about to come. I had to reveal most of my secrets to her. “We would, but before we work together, you need to know some things.” I noticed that Lexa had subconsciously moved closer to me out of anticipation. Our knees now touched. “I haven’t been entirely honest with you as to who I am and what I do. I am Clarke and I am an orphan, that part is true. What I lied about was that I don’t know where I came from. I do. I knew my parents and I know what clan I originate from. I am Clarke Griffin of Skaikru.”

Lexa’s eyes widened. I could see the dozens of thoughts flashing behind her eyes. “Griffin,” she said in disbelief. “A very respected noble family and the first Skaikru family to disappear. No one could find anything that gave us an idea of what happened. There was only burnt rubble that left behind no evidence. The same thing happened to most of the remaining Skaikru. Are you saying there are more Skaikru? The clan isn’t extinct? There’s still a thirteenth clan?” Her astonished expression changed to one of hope.

“Yes,” I replied. “Those are the people I look after, including the four guards I gave you. We went into hiding because the Mountain Men target us.” I went into detail about Arkadia and how Bellamy and I founded it, how we discovered more homeless Skaikru and created a home for ourselves. I also told her how torn apart it currently was. I kept out anything related to Wanheda though.

“We’ve had Skaikru living among us this whole time.” Lexa was still trying to take all this information in. “What makes the Mountain Men target you?”

“Our blood,” I replied, starting to feel the weight of everything that transpired in Mount Weather. “Something is wrong with their blood and they can’t go outside without getting gravely ill or dying. There’s something special about our blood that helps them.”

Confusion was written on Lexa’s face. Her eyebrows were pinched in. “Why would they go after people outside of Skaikru then?” she asked.

“Two reasons: they use them as a Skaikru substitute when they run low on their supply of us or they turn them into reapers.” Dread filled Lexa at this information.

“I had my suspicions,” she said. “When I saw Lincoln, I had a feeling, but you confirming it makes it so much more real. How do you know all of this?”

I hesitated to answer her. Flashes of Mount Weather went across my mind. I saw the blood being drained from bodies, people in cages, and most prominently, my dad. Lexa’s hand on my thigh brought me out of it. I looked up to her. She had worry in her eyes. “Are you okay?” she asked.

I ignored her question and went to answer her previous one. “I made myself get captured. I’ve seen it all.” My eyes were unfocused as I stared off into the distance.

Her hand tightened on my lap. “Clarke,” Lexa started.

I cut her off. “There’s people you need to see.” Dante’s words were in my mind again. I didn’t deserve Lexa’s comfort, maybe not her at all. She looked confused at my statement, but also concerned for my sudden mood change.

I began to stand up but Lexa’s grip on my arm made me sit back down. She held my eyes. My heart picked up. “Whatever you saw, whatever bothers you, you will always have me to talk to. I get the feeling you aren’t ready to talk about it right now and I understand. Just know that we will end all of this. We’ll get justice for all we’ve been through and all we’ve lost.”

This is the first time Lexa’s words didn’t comfort me. Maybe it was because I couldn’t get images of Mount Weather out of my head. I felt tears building up behind my eyes. It’s been a while since I last cried and I wasn’t about to let that happen in front of Lexa. I don’t know why I was filled with so much emotion right now. It could be from the fact that I just spilled so much to Lexa or that there may be the tiniest fraction of hope filling my chest. With that hope, I understand that if we do succeed, it will come at a price.

My thoughts were broken again by Lexa’s arms wrapping around my shoulders. She pulled me into a hug. At first I stiffened, but she held me tighter which made me relax into it. I reciprocated, wrapping my arms around her waist and tucking my head into her neck. I breathed in her scent and instantly felt calm. The images stopped flashing across my mind and all I could think about was how I could stay like this forever.

 

***

 

Lexa and I were riding along the dirt road leading to the heart of Polis. I planned on reuniting her with Nyko and Lincoln. At this point, I realized that I was protecting myself and not Lexa by keeping Wanheda a secret. I knew eventually I would have no choice but to reveal myself as Wanheda. Until then, I was going to give Wanheda a good name. The best way to do this would be showing Lexa that Wanheda saved Lincoln.

We were both quiet, lost in thought. I couldn’t get in Lexa’s mind, but I was sure she was analyzing the entirety of our previous conversation. I was thinking about her reaction to me hiding Lincoln and Nyko. I kept going through multiple different scenarios and none of them were particularly good. 

We finally came out from the woods and entered the village of Polis. It was as hectic as it was when I passed through earlier. This time, however, people parted a pathway easily, noticing the Princess passing through. As she passed, everyone dropped to their knee out of respect. Lexa nodded back in acknowledgement. This continued all the way to the shop. We dismounted and I stopped us at the front door.

“Before we go in, before you see them, don’t be so quick to anger or thinking ill of me. I will explain why I did what I did.” Lexa looked confused, but before she could question me, I opened the door. Lincoln and Nyko were sitting at the back table talking. They both went silent when they saw Lexa and I standing in the doorway. Most of the room was still in pieces because none of us had the time or energy to fix it.

Lexa layed eyes on them and her jaw dropped. She took a few steps forward and stopped, continuing to stare with disbelief. Lincoln calmly stood up. “Clarke, I told you to return with twelve armies. I didn’t expect you to actually do it.” He walked over to Lexa and dropped to one knee. “Heda,” he said respectfully.

“Rise,” Lexa commanded, her stoic mask in place. I could see past it though. There was a tornado of emotion swirling behind her eyes. Nyko followed in suit. “How long have you been here?” Lexa asked.

“About a month for me,” Lincoln replied.

“About a week for me,” Nyko said.

Lexa turned to me. “Explain.”

“Allow me to start off the story, Heda. It did begin with me afterall,” Lincoln said. Lexa nodded in approval. “It’s no secret that I was turned into a reaper. No one has ever heard of a reaper being turned back just as no one has ever heard of people coming back from the dead. No one has ever heard of those things until Wanheda.”

Lexa’s eyes narrowed. “Wanheda is responsible for this?”

“Yes,” Lincoln replied. “Not only did Wanheda return me back to normal, they did it twice and brought me back from the dead. I only saw them briefly before I lost consciousness.”

“Lincoln made his way to Arkadia eventually,” I continued. “I took him in. When he was healthy, he helped me get inside Mount Weather by posing as a reaper which was a mistake. He was turned again and Wanheda saved him again. He was brought back to the shop.”

“Then I showed up,” Nyko butted in. “When Clarke escaped Mount Weather, she caused an uproar. I took advantage and escaped too. Octavia found me wandering around the perimeter here. I took on a request made by Bellamy in the Mountain. I was to find Clarke and deliver a message. I was shocked to find Lincoln and here and had to stay to help him.”

Lexa followed the whole story. “That leaves something unanswered that I’ve been wondering,” she said. “Why has Lincoln been in hiding this long? Why didn’t you return to the castle?” Her last question was directed at both Lincoln and I.

“At first it was to keep him a secret,” I replied. “We didn’t want the Mountain Men to know we had Lincoln reverted back to normal. He was our secret weapon. He was the only one who knew how to get to Mount Weather.”

“I also wasn’t in good health after we went through with our plan to enter Mount Weather,” Lincoln explained. “I got on my feet for the first time yesterday.”

The tension in Lexa’s shoulders relaxed slightly. “Are you mad?” I asked.

“No,” she said. “I just can’t believe what I’m seeing or hearing. It’s all been too much.” Her mask slipped and I could tell we weren’t in the presence of Heda anymore. She was just Lexa.

Lexa pulled Lincoln into a hug. “I never thought I’d see you again not as a reaper. I can’t believe that I almost shot you.” She pulled back to look at him. “Thank goodness Wanheda stood between us.”

She turned to Nyko. “And you, Nyko.” She hugged him and pulled back. “We need you back at the castle. Indra is breaking everyone.”

Nyko laughed. “Can’t wait to get back to work, Heda.” He turned his attention to Lincoln. “Lincoln, it is time to make your medicine.”

“Right. We’ll be right back. We have to go mix some herbs which get rather smelly inside.” Lincoln and Nyko exited through the back door. It was just Lexa and I now.

“What are you thinking?” I asked Lexa.

“So many things,” she replied. “I need time to process this all.”

“I understand,” I said. “It’s a lot to take in.”

“I’m happy to see Lincoln and Nyko again. I thought they were gone forever.” She paused.

I sensed a but coming. “But?”

“I have a lot of mixed feelings about everything else. I’m angry, happy, and shocked at the same time. Like you said it’s a lot to take in.”

“Just think, us joining forces makes us one step closer to defeating Mount Weather.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say that could comfort her in some way.

She smiled. “I agree.”

“What are your thoughts on Wanheda?” I asked, wanting to gauge where she stood with Wanheda.

“I am grateful for their help, but–”

All of the sudden, the back door slammed open. Octavia and Raven stuffed themselves through the door carrying an injured Kane. Lincoln and Nyko followed. They laid Kane in the space that used to be occupied by Lincoln. He was bleeding badly from his calf and head. Nyko and I went to work, filling a bowl of water and gathering clothes. Nyko went through his pouch that held tiny vials of liquids, which I assumed were medicines or anecdotes.

I put pressure on his leg while Nyko cleaned the wound on his head. “What happened?” I asked.

Kane was panting like he had just ran every street in Polis. “I’ve been tracking Jaha. He was acting strange,” he rushed out in between breaths. “He’s been working with them.”

“Who has he been working with?” I asked.

“The Mountain Men.” Kane groaned with pain as I increased the pressure on his wound.

“What?” I couldn’t believe Jaha would turn to them after what they did to him. “But Wells… his wife… This makes no sense.”

“He was with them before they took Wells,” Kane said. “He feared for Wells’s safety and made a deal with them.”

“What kind of deal?” This day was too much. It was too much to handle. All I desire at this moment is to sleep into tomorrow. Instead, I poured alcohol on Kane’s wound. He yelled out in pain, gripping his leg. He was drenched in sweat.

When he calmed down, he answered me. “He’d keep an eye on you and report to them in exchange for making Wells untouchable by reapers.”

“But they took him,” Octavia said.

“The Mountain Men desired more from him which he refused. He refused until they took Wells,” Kane said. “The Cerberus Project. The red drug. He laced that drug in his bread and gave it to Arkadia.”

“That’s why everyone’s gone mad,” Raven said. “It must be a low enough dosage that it angers people just over the boiling point.”

“Everyone turned on each other,” I said.

“There’s more,” Kane said. “They are planning on doing one last big harvest on Arkadia. It’s coming soon, but I don’t know when.”

Anger swelled in my chest. How could I not see this coming? They broke us down on the inside and now they’re going to deliver the final blow. “We’re screwed,” Raven said.

All of the adrenaline and new information made me forget what had transpired before all of this. I just remembered that Lexa stood behind me. “No we’re not,” I said sternly.

“What do you mean? Arkadia is in a civil war. No, scratch that. We are in something much worse than a civil war. Not a single person is on one side. We have no power. The Mountain Men will wipe us.” Raven’s anger was rising, much like everyone else’s in the room.

“Things have changed. The Mountain Men’s plan worked perfectly up to this point, but they didn’t account for us getting reinforcements.” I looked to Lexa and smiled. “We have allied ourselves with Heda. She’s going to help us defeat Mount Weather.”

I saw the hope build up in everyone’s eyes. Raven and Octavia looked between Lexa and I. “You’re really going to help us?” Octavia asked.

“Of course. What kind of Heda would I be if I didn’t protect the last remaining of Skaikru.” Her statement made Raven and Octavia’s eyes go wide. They looked at me. I mouthed ‘later’ to them. 

Nyko and I finished tending to Kane as everyone calmed down. Jackson had taught me how to stitch a couple years ago so I put that skill to use on Kane’s leg. It wasn’t pretty and would most likely leave a scar. It would be smaller than if I hadn’t stitched it up though.

“We need to fix Arkadia and get that drugged food out of there,” Octavia said.

“We do,” I agreed. 

“The drugged bread should already be taken care of. Jaha fled and is no longer in his bakery,” Kane said.

“We still need to clean up any that may remain and explain to everyone what is going, if possible,” I said.

“That may be difficult considering they almost tore you to pieces the last time you were there,” Raven said.

“It might be better to wait a few days to talk to them, when the drug has left their system,” Octavia suggested. “But we do need to make sure all traces of the drug are gone.”

“We should go as soon as possible,” I said. “Nyko would you be willing to keep an eye on Kane? That is, if Lexa doesn’t mind.”

“He should stay. Return when you can, Nyko,” Lexa said.

“All right, everyone else get ready to go,” I commanded.

I turned to grab a bag, but Lexa’s hand gently grasping my elbow made me stop. “Clarke,” she said, emphasizing the k at the end of my name. “As much as I want to help you, I must return to the castle.”

“I understand,” I said. “Duty calls.” We walked outside over to the horses and Lexa’s guards.

“Sort of,” she said. “After everything I’ve learned today and us working together now, I have to tell my father. We are going to war with the Mountain Men and he is the king. Heda’s army is as much as his. He has to know.”

I knew this was her subtle way of asking for permission to pass on the information I confided in her. “You’re right. A war is about to break out. It would be ridiculous if the king didn’t know. I’m assuming that things are going to snowball soon. Everyone needs to be prepared.”

Lexa nodded in agreement. “We’ll be in touch.” 

Lexa held out her arm. I grasped her forearm as she did mine. “May we meet again,” I said. Recognition of the Skaikru saying flashed across Lexa’s face. It had been a while since anyone had said that due to keeping Skaikru a secret.

“May we meet again,” Lexa returned.   
  



	20. Chapter 20

A few days have passed and there has been no word from Lexa yet. I’ve been surprised that the Mountain Men haven’t attacked yet. It seemed almost like they were waiting for something.

In the meantime, we managed to clear Arkadia of the red drug. Octavia, Raven, and I have talked to a few Arkadians so far. Their anger has calmed down immensely and they were understanding, which gives us hope that we can unite Arkadia. All that was left to do is address Arkadia as a whole.

The most out of place thing here was that Jackson was missing. No one could give us an explanation to where he went or where he might’ve gone. I was worried not just for his well-being but for the repercussions that could take place on Arkadia. He is our only full time doctor. I have filled his place before, but I have larger responsibilities to take care of at the moment.

A hand gripped my shoulder, breaking me out of my mind. “Clarke,” Octavia said. “Everyone is gathered outside.”

“Okay, let’s go.” I walked to the opening of our main building where a giant flag cascaded over the entrance. I pushed it aside, revealing all that remained of us, about thirty people. Not a single person was missing dark bags under their eyes. Everyone looked like they had been through a war, but ours had barely started.

“People of Arkadia, Skaikru,” I spoke loudly. “These past few weeks have been rough to say the least. I have good news to report that will bring us relief, but before I get to that, I need to clear up some things. First off, as some of you may know, there’s been a spy among us. Thelonious Jaha. He revealed our secrets to the Mountain Men and drugged our food with the substance that creates reapers. That accounts for everyone’s behavior and hatred toward each other. He tore Arkadia apart, threw us into something worse than a civil war.” Everyone began to whisper to each other with this new information.

“Quiet down. This is only the beginning. Now, I understand that the drug that invaded our food made some of us do and say things we regret, but I feel that it revealed the truth in some ways. Some of you may feel that I have been distant this past month, that I have been lacking on leadership, maybe even abandoned you. I admit, that under all this pressure and responsibility, I could have been a better leader. However, I have reasons that account for my absence.” I took a deep breath, preparing myself to relive my time in Mount Weather. “I infiltrated the Mountain Men’s headquarters.” I stopped speaking as everyone began to speak at once, shouting out question after question.

Octavia and Raven helped quiet them down, saying that I was about to explain everything. Once everyone was quiet, I continued. “With the help of one of the Princess’ guards, who was formerly a reaper, I was able to find and enter their territory, Mount Weather. Yes, reapers can be reverted back, but that discussion is for another time.”

“Are our people still alive? Did you see them?” Someone called out from the crowd.

“A lot of them are alive, yes, but there are also a lot of casualties so be warned. I discovered that the Mountain Men create reapers out of us and people of the twelve clans.” I paused, hesitating to reveal the next part. “Prepare yourself for what I am about to say. It is not good. The reason the Mountain Men come after us is for our blood. Their blood is ill so they drain us of ours so they can live.” I heard a few audible gasps. “They plan on doing one more final harvest on us soon. A battle is coming and I need you all ready.”

“No matter how ready we are, there’s no way we can take them. Look at us,” John said, holding his arms up, gesturing to all thirty of us.

“That’s where the good news comes in. I have revealed to our princess all of our troubles and our true identities. Before anyone gets worried or mad, Princess Alexandria is trustworthy and has promised to help us. The Mountain Men already know of our identities, including Wanheda, thanks to Jaha. Princess Alexandria is gathering her twelve armies as we speak to support us.” I could see the hope being restored. “That doesn’t mean we can sit back and let them do all the work. We have to put in our all. This was our battle first. Everyone needs to prepare for battle. They can march on Arkadia any day now. We have to show the Mountain Men that we are no force to be reckoned with. We will not go down easy. This is the start of us building a new life for ourselves. This is the closest we have been to defeating them and we will.”

At this moment a messenger hawk swooped down, dropping a scroll in my hand and landing on my shoulder. Everyone stared on as I unrolled the piece of paper. The royal symbol was stamped at the top of the parchment. The nicest cursive handwriting I had ever laid eyes on covered the page. The message was short and straight to the point.

It read:

 

 

_Clarke,_

_I have warriors on stand by. The only thing I am waiting for is your feedback on where to place them. Please make your way to the castle so that we can discuss the logistics of the impending battle. The sooner, the better. I’ll be waiting._

_Sincerely,_

_Princess Alexandria_

 

I looked up and saw a crowd of people expectantly waiting for me to discuss what I had just received. I folded the paper up and stuffed it in my pocket. The hawk that was still perched on my shoulder gave me a couple reminding pokes on my neck. I fished into my pocket and gave him a piece of my bread I was saving for later. He squawked with content and took off in the direction of the royal castle.

“I have received word from Princess Alexandria. She has her army on standby, waiting for me to give her word of where to send them. Expect many of them to reside in this camp. I have to head to the castle now so if you have any questions or seek direction go to Octavia or Raven.” With that I stepped off into the crowd and walked over to Octavia and Raven.

“Make sure they are all ready to fight and for the integration of Lexa’s troops,” I said. “Send scouts to set up a perimeter and be on the lookout for the enemy. When I get back, everything should be ready or at least very close to ready. Remember that they can attack at any moment. I’m counting on you two.”

Raven stood at attention and saluted. “Yes, ma’am.”

“I’m serious,” I said.

She dropped her act. “I know, Griffin. You can count on us. I’ll make things go boom and Octavia can raise our army from the dead.”

“Raven will handle weapons. I can handle people. We got this,” Octavia said.

“Good. I’ll see you guys soon.” They said their goodbyes and I took off into the woods, toward the castle.

 

***

 

This time, the gates opened automatically for me. I was greeted by a guard. “Ms. Griffin, Princess Alexandria has provided a horse for you to ride up to the castle.” He gestured to the same white horse I had ridden multiple times before. “Another guard will meet you at the entrance.”

“Thank you,” I said as I mounted the horse. It was much faster to reach the castle entrance on horseback.

Atom met me again. “Fancy seeing you here. Guess the princess likes you. I’ve never walked anyone to her study more than I have you,” he said.

“You’ve only escorted me there once,” I said.

“That’s more than anyone else,” he replied. “Come along.” He began walking through the castle.

“I’m assuming you know what’s happening,” I said.

“I know enough,” he replied. “I’ve volunteered to defend Arkadia so I’ll be fighting alongside of you guys.”

“Good to hear. Akradia could use you again.” We stopped at the closed door of her study.

“Good luck, Clarke. Lead us to victory.” He smiled at me and took his position by the door. I knocked and heard a faint command to enter.

I opened the door and Lexa stood facing me with her hands behind her back. To her left was her father, the king. I dropped to my knee, “Your majesty. Your highness.”

“Rise, Clarke Griffing of Skaikru,” King Gustus commanded. I did as told. He continued, “No need for such formalities. I understand that you hold key information about the enemy.”

“Yes, your majesty,” I replied. I felt so tense, like I was on the verge of doing something wrong that would anger the king. Lexa stood silently watching me.

“You play a vital role in this war, just like Lincoln. You both hold secrets of the Mountain Men,” he said. “Lincoln should be joining us soon. In the meantime, we can set up a perimeter to prepare for the attack.” The table sitting in front of the couch that normally held a book or two and candles was now cleared off, holding a map instead.

“Pardon the informalities of using this room,” the king said. “Normally we’d use our war room but I gave it to Indra today to prepare our warriors. Lexa also said it would be much more comfortable to work here. I’ll only be staying a few moments to gather enough of the information before I have to meet up with Azgeda to discuss some terms.”

“I completely understand, your majesty,” I replied. “ I’ll make sure that Princess Alexandria and I figure everything out before you return.”

“Good. Now let’s figure out troop placement.” He focused his attention on the map.

“I’m assuming the attack will take place at Arkadia,” Lexa said, looking at me for confirmation.

“I can’t see why they would attack anywhere else unless they received word that we created an alliance,” I said.

Lexa nodded. “First off, where is Arkadia?” she asked.

It was weird that I was seconds away from revealing our location after hiding it for so long. Just the thought of having anyone know the location of my home made me feel incredibly vulnerable. Looking at Lexa, though, calmed me down. I knew that this information would be in good, trustworthy hands. Besides, the Mountain Men already knew of our location and there could be no one worse to give that knowledge to.

I pointed to a wooded area north of Polis Village.

“That’s the area said to be Wanheda’s,” King Gustus said. My heart rate picked up.

“That’s why we chose it. No one would dare stumble on our camp,” I said.

“Smart,” he said. “But have you run into Wanheda ever?”

“A few times, yes,” I replied. Technically I wasn’t lying. He hummed in acknowledgement.

“We can send a bulk of men to Arkadia and disperse a few throughout Polis village just to be cautious,” Lexa said. “Do you agree, Clarke?”

“Yes, I think that would be a good idea, but I think we could risk something else,” I said, thinking of the map Lincoln and I worked on all those weeks ago.

“What would that be?” she asked.

“Maybe we could stop them before they even reach Arkadia,” I said.

“How would we do that if we don’t know which direction they would be coming from?” the king asked. “They could flank us and that would mean spreading out our men thin. We mostly only have access to Trikru warriors at such short notice. We don’t have as many men as we’d like and we don’t know how many men the Mountain Men have.”

“Three hundred eighty-two people. Not all are warriors and not counting reapers.” I remember seeing the number in the hospital wing of Mount Weather. I didn’t think anything of the number until now. “They have children and sick people. As for how we would know where they would attack from…” I picked up a piece of charcoal and marked seven X’s.

“What are those?” Lexa asked.

“Caves,” I replied. “It’s how the reapers travel. The caves are the reason we never saw reaper attacks coming. I’m betting they’ll use them to transport their men. We can have a front at each of the four closest caves and then have men stay back in Arkadia and Polis Village.”

“That’s still spreading our men thin,” the king said.

“The cave entrances are fairly narrow. That gives us the advantage. Easy controlled target,” I said.

“That could work,” King Gustus said.

There was a knock at the door. “Enter.” The king’s voice echoed across the room and no doubt through the door. The door opened, revealing Lincoln. “Ah, Lincoln come join us. It’s good to see you’re back.” King Gustus slapped his hand on Lincoln’s shoulder.

“Good to be back, your majesty,” Lincoln said.

King Gustus looked out the window. “I need to get going. I have to meet Azgeda to see how many men they are willing to negotiate. I trust that you three will figure out the rest. Lexa, I expect a brief when I get back later tonight.”

“Yes, father,” she replied.

He gave us one last nod and left. All three of us turned toward each other. “What have I missed?” Lincoln asked.

Lexa and I explained our plans so far. Lincoln agreed with our ideas. “I think an important thing to consider is their weapons and to account for how much supplies and weapons we’ll put into the reapers,” Lexa said.

“I can speak for the reapers,” Lincoln said. “Be prepared to use a lot of arrows to take them down if you choose to use archers. I wouldn’t recommend them though. Brutal force is the only way to take them down. They don’t feel much in their state so you’d have to go for spots like the knees and shoulders to immobilize them.”

“Another thing to consider is that we may be fighting our own people in reaper form,” I said. Lincoln and Lexa went silent at the thought of it. “I know Wanheda was able to bring Lincoln back, but I don’t think they’ll be able to save everyone if they show up.”

Lexa’s jaw was clenched hard. I could see the muscles working as she grinded her teeth together. “We’ll do what we have to. Even if Wanheda tried saving them all, it’s not a guarantee they will survive. It’s them or us,” Lexa said.

Lincoln and I silently nodded in agreement. I honestly didn’t know if I could kill a Skaikru reaper. I’ve spent my whole life trying to protect them, living with them, laughing with them. It would be killing my own family. I can’t imagine what I’d do if it were Bellamy standing in front of me, red eyed. Lexa, Lincoln, and the rest of the army would have it much harder considering most of the reapers were made up of their clans. Lexa was willing to kill Lincoln in reaper form, but I saw the pain and hesitation behind her eyes.

“What about weapons?” Lexa asked.

“I haven’t seen anything more advanced than what we use,” Lincoln replied.

“Neither have I,” I said. “Although, they have technology that controls the reapers.” The high pitched frequency they used to force the reapers to submit could be vital in our hands. “It’s some instrument that emits a high pitched frequency. It causes all the reapers to drop. If we can somehow replicate that…”

“Your friend, Raven, could help in that department,” Lexa said.

Lincoln caught my eye. Even though he said no words, I understood him. We may still be affected by the frequency too. That would cripple Lincoln and I and potentially get us killed or even others.

“I’ll see what she can do,” I said.

There was another knock at the door. Lexa let out a sigh. “Enter!” she said. It was a guard I had never seen before. “Excuse me, Princess. Indra would like to have Lincoln present in her meeting.”

She nodded. “Lincoln, you may go unless you have anymore information we should know.”

“I don’t have anything at the moment. Just remember to never enter any of the caves. That would be asking for death,” he said. “I’ll see you both on the battlefield.” He gave one last nod and left with the guard.

Lexa let out a long heavy sigh. Her shoulders visible relaxed. She sat on the couch, staring at the map.

I stood, observing her. “What are you thinking?” I asked.

“I’m thinking that we are going to lose a lot of people. When we kill a reaper, we kill one of our people.” She looked at me as if she was hoping I would voice an alternate route to avoid so much death. Unfortunately for her, I was the Commander of Death and saw no path to save everyone. She also knew there was no other way.

I sat next to her, letting out a sigh of my own. I had no words of comfort. Nothing that I could say could help the situation. “Just focus on the future. Imagine the lives we could save by defeating the Mountain Men.”

She silently nodded, but it didn’t lift her spirits. After a few moments of silence, she spoke. “Nyko returned earlier today. He’ll serve as the field medic. I’m assuming you also have one?”

“We used to. Jackson, our medic, disappeared. I fear that either Mount Weather has him or he’s involved in a similar situation as Jaha,” I said. “I can help though. I often worked with him.”

We worked out a few more details to ensure our plan would run as smoothly as possible. We decide who should go to which cave, putting a few more skilled warriors to the more frequently used caves and figuring out a retreat plan in case we needed one. I sent a message to Raven about the device to control the reapers. Hopefully she’d be able to make something. I was able to take a quick break as Lexa briefed our full plan to the king. Lexa had instructed Indra to march her warriors into position. Each group left at staggered times to not alarm the citizens too much. Of course, the people who resided in Polis Village weren’t completely in the dark. They were informed that there was a potential chance of attack. Everyone had been preparing the past few hours and warriors were posted throughout the village.

I hadn’t realized how long I had been here until I looked at the darken sky through the windows of the study. Lexa yawned next to me. “When do you think they’ll attack?” she asked.

“It could be any moment. There’s no doubt they started putting their plan in motion when Jaha escaped Kane,” I said.

“Do you think Wanheda will show up?” she asked.

“I think so. They will in one way or another. Does that worry you?” I asked, trying to gauge where she stands on Wanheda for what seemed like the hundredth time.

“If they will save my people from the fate of a reaper, I welcome them.” Her reply didn’t give me the straight forward answer I had been looking for. It gave me enough, though, to know that she didn’t fully distrust Wanheda. “I think we’ll be fine with just you though,” she said, smiling at me, trying to lighten the mood.

“Just me? That makes me feel good about myself,” I said jokingly.

“You know that’s not what I meant,” she said to me with a tired smile. “You’re just as good as Wanheda. Maybe better. I’ve never seen you in full glory.”

I laughed. “My full glory huh? I could say the same about you.” I knew I had witnessed Lexa multiple times cutting down reapers, but I also knew that she wasn’t fully immersed in the battle. I was sure there was so much more to her fighting and role as Heda than what I had seen.

“When I first met you, I sensed that there was a lot more to you than meets the eye,” she said. “I have to admit, it was a very interesting first meeting. It intrigued me. You were unlike anyone I had ever met. You treated me more like a normal person rather than royalty, which I liked. You also carried yourself with something I can only describe as humble strength, unless you were showing off to Costia.”

My heart was racing. Never would I have imagined to have all these kind words coming out of Lexa’s mouth. I couldn’t help the blush spreading across my cheeks. I laughed nervously. “I don’t think Costia will ever not want to murder me.”

“You don’t have to worry about her anymore. She went home a little over a week ago,” Lexa said.

That’s one less thing to worry about. However, I was occupied by more serious matters now. “Seriously though, I appreciate what you said about me,” I said. “Sometimes I don’t feel that way, especially in your presence if I’m being honest.”

“Why would you feel that way? You shouldn’t,” she said, sounding concerned.

“Because you’re this great leader that twelve nations look up to,” I said. “You somehow manage to control everyone while keeping everyone mostly content. People respect you. People would die for you. You rule with the perfect balance of power and kindness. Me? I struggled to handle one hundred people and now look how many of us there are left. People thought I abandoned them.”

“Clarke,” Lexa spoke softly, placing a hand on my thigh like the last time she tried comforting me. “You’re forgetting all the war and disagreements that happened before this peace. My parents and I struggled for years to settle the war. That is where you are now. Keep moving forward. Peace will come. You will grow and learn from experience as you do everyday. You aren’t a bad leader, Clarke. Your people need to realize the sacrifices that come with being a leader and you need to stop being so critical of yourself.”

I nodded. “You’re right. You just make it seem so easy.”

“It’s not. It’ll never be easy to be a leader. Everyday my father and I sit through complaint after complaint by our people,” she said. “There’s always things that need to be improved, always some complaint, some disagreement. I don’t mean to sound so depressing, but it’s the truth.”

It became clear to me how Lexa became such a great leader. She held the wisdom of someone much older than herself. I felt better realizing that there were many more circumstances than myself contributing to my leadership struggle. “You read a lot, don’t you?” I asked, smirking.

“Yes. What does that have to do with anything?” she asked, confused.

“You’re very smart. You have too much wisdom for your age,” I said.

She blushed. “Well, I have nothing else to do when I have down time. It also relaxes me.”

“If you ever need entertainment and don’t feel like reading, you have me now. I’m always making a fool of myself,” I said.

She laughed. “I don’t doubt that.”

“Hey!” I complained.

“I’ll keep your offer in mind,” she said, smiling.

 

***

 

By the time we arrived at Arkadia, the army’s camp was already set up. Instead of the usual open space between buildings, there were tents scattered throughout, as well as surrounding the area. By our main building stood a tent that was larger than the rest. It was Lexa’s. A throne intricately made out of branches sat with its back against the back wall of the tent. Off to the right was a table with the layout of the area. It was marked where each group of warriors were positioned. To the right of that was a bed covered in fur blankets.

Lexa went for a pitcher that was placed on a small table by her bed. She poured both of us a cup of water. “What do you think of Arkadia so far?” I asked, taking a sip of water.

“With the little bit that I saw, it is impressive what you and Bellamy built. I wish I could see it on an average day, observe your way of life,” she replied.

“Hopefully you’ll have that chance,” I said.

Lexa opened her mouth to say something but one of the guards posted outside of her tent walked in. “Pardon me, Heda. There’s a girl of the name Octavia requesting for Clarke’s presence.”

“Go. Report to me if there is anything I need to know. If not, then I will see you in the morning.” I nodded in response and exited the tent.

Octavia was giving the guards a death stare. She must’ve not had a good run in with them. “What’s up?” I asked.

“Raven wants to see you. Something about frequency,” she said.

“Okay. Where is she?” I asked.

“Top floor of the main building,” she replied.

“We’re right outside. She couldn’t have gotten me herself?” I said.

“She’s been working like crazy. She’s on the verge of insanity. Good luck with her,” Octavia said.

“Before I go, how’s Arkadia doing?” I asked.

“Some of us don’t appreciate the rudeness coming out of some of these warriors.” She eyed the guards a few meters behind me. “Other than that, we’re all ready to go. We got our unity back for the most part.”

“That’s good to hear. How’s Lincoln?” I asked with a knowing smirk. I spoke with Octavia earlier. She gave me a run down on everyone’s positions. Her and Lincoln had been posted up on the east side of Arkadia. She also happened to develop a crush of sorts on Lincoln with all the time she had spent with him when he was recovering.

Her jaw shifted and her eyes narrowed. “He’s great. Can’t wait to run a sword up some Mountain Men’s ass.”

“No need for such harsh language,” I said.

Octavia rolled her eyes. “Go see Raven before she blows herself up.” With that, she walked off to her post.

I found Raven huddled in a corner of the room, sitting at a desk filled with gadgets. The floor was littered with scrapes, trash, and no doubt, things that make other things go boom.

“Hey,” I said to get her attention.

She turned to look at me, looking like she deserved some much needed sleep. “Your high frequency thing, did it sound like this?” Before I could react, a loud high pitch echoed through the room. I was ready to panic, but then I realized that it wasn’t the right pitch.

“It’s too high. I don’t think it will work,” I said. “It’s okay if you can’t get it in time. There’s a chance it could hurt Lincoln and I. I just wanted it for emergencies.”

She nodded. “What have you made so far?” I asked.

“Some explosives, some smoke bombs, and then I’ve been working on this frequency thing for a while.” She let out a long tired sigh.

“Take a break, Raven. You’ve done good,” I said.

“I will eventually. I want to get a few more smoke bombs made first,” she said.

“Don’t overwork yourself,” I said. “Do you mind if I take one of these smoke bombs to show Lexa?”

“Go for it,” she said. “Now get out before I blow both of us up.” I beelined for the trap door.

Lexa’s guards automatically let me in. I smiled to myself, thinking of the trouble Octavia must have gone through just to get a guard to fetch me.

When I saw Lexa, I stumbled and my breath hitched. Rather than wearing her usual royal dress, she was wearing black pants, a black shirt, and a black undone overcoat that looked like it would be useful in battle. This was a side of Lexa I had yet to see and I didn’t mind it. Power almost radiated off her. The only thing holding it back was the fact that she wasn’t in Heda mode. She was very much just Lexa and very much badass.

“Couldn’t stay away from me, could you?” she said jokingly.

I went to say something, but the only thing that came out was a breath. I desperately searched for words. “Uh– That’s a new outfit.”

She looked down at herself and then back up at me with an amused grin. “It’s much more practical to fight in. Was there something you needed?”

“Oh yeah.” I pulled the smoke bomb out of my pocket and held it out. “This is one of the gadgets Raven is working on. It emits smoke, blinding the enemy of your movements”

“I feel like I’ve seen this before.” She gently took it from my hand and inspected it. “How does it work?”

“You push the button on the side and throw it,” I said.

Lexa set it down on the strategy table. “What else has she made?”

“Explosives and she was working on the high pitch frequency device. She hasn’t gotten it right yet,” I said.

“Are the explosives and smoke ready to go?” she asked.

“I believe so,” I replied.

She grabbed a guard’s attention from outside and instructed him to tell Anya to disperse the explosives and smoke throughout each group of warriors.

“She’s a genius. I’m very impressed,” Lexa said.

“Yeah, she may not do much hand to hand combat, but all the inventions she makes saves our asses. She a very critical asset to our team,” I said.

Lexa hummed in agreement and yawned right after. “I’m sorry,” I said. “Am I keeping you up?”

“No. I don’t think I could fall asleep even if I tried,” she said.

“Why’s that?” I asked.

“I’m tense and anxious waiting for a fight that could break out at any moment,” she replied, sitting on the edge of her bed.

“I can keep you company and take your mind off things, that is if you’d like,” I offered.

She smiled with tired eyes. “I’d like that.”

I joined her on the edge of the bed. “I can recite something extremely boring to make you fall asleep.”

“What would that be?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Raven’s step by step process on how to make the best possible stone arrowhead,” I said, wanting to fall asleep just thinking about it.

Lexa laughed. “You have that memorized?”

“Unfortunately,” I said. “I’ve heard it about a thousand times whether she was telling me or someone else.”

“What’s the first step?” Lexa leaned back into her bed and angled herself so that her head was more at the top and her knees pressed into the side of my leg.

“Find a rock,” I said. I got more comfortable as well, leaning my back against the tent wall. Lexa lifted her legs so that they rested on top of mine.

“Yeah, I don’t need to hear the rest.” she said.

“You don’t need to or you don’t want to? Raven would disagree that you don’t need to.”

She laughed again. She had a really pretty laugh that I wish I could hear more often. “Maybe some other time,” she said. “Tell me a story from your childhood.”

“If I do that, it’ll have to be a story for story type of deal,” I said.

“Deal,” she agreed.

I told her a story about how my dad and I both managed to get knocked in the water by a huge catfish that we caught. She told me a story about her first lesson with Indra at the mere age of seven. She couldn’t land a hit on Indra and was getting frustrated. Her mom was watching the whole thing. They caught eyes and her mom gestured for Lexa to go through Indra’s legs. Lexa was able to land a hit on Indra that way. Lexa felt the need to justify the strategy.

“It was a good idea. It made sense. I was tiny and fast. I could easily slip to her rear and she’d be exposed. It would be making use of the only two advantages I had over her.”

“You do realize that you’re breaking down the geniusness of seven year old you running through Indra’s legs right?” I asked.

“When you put it that way, it sounds stupid,” Lexa was pouting.

“No, please keep going. It’s cute,” I said.

She blushed, but she enthusiastically continued to explain how great of a plan it was. We exchanged a few more stories. By the time I finished my third story, she was sound asleep. I followed soon after.  



	21. Chapter 21

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stuff goes down in this chapter so be warned. There are character deaths.

In one day I wear a hundred masks, yet I wonder if any of them are truly me.

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[@sixwordssayitall](https://tmblr.co/m4hsIYuC9GTccHgQsZarYLA)  
  
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Air rushed out of my lungs as his giant boot connected with my chest, sending me flying backwards. I lost my grip on my sword and it landed out of reach. I struggled to regain my breath. I had to move. 

The reaper was closing in on me. He held his ax above his head, preparing to deliver the final blow. I rolled out of the way just in time. I pulled a dagger that was secured in my boot and threw it at him. It buried itself into his neck. He grabbed at it, but still continued to attack me. He swung his ax. I rolled to the side toward my sword, grabbing it. I hopped to my feet and immediately went to attack. He was still recovering from his one armed swing, leaving his side exposed. With my sword, I hacked at the back of his leg. It gave out so he was now kneeling. I went behind him and took hold of my dagger, yanking it across the rest of his throat. He fell to the ground limp.

I took in my surroundings. Every couple of feet there was a separate battle taking place. Battle cries echoed off the surrounding trees. Most of the tents from the night before were now just a pile of material resting on the ground. The smell of blood was thick in the air. Maybe it was just me. My head was split open a few fights ago. Blood freely dripped down my face. I may have also broken a rib going by the pain in my side.

I lost sight of Lexa a while ago. We had stuck by each other’s sides for the beginning of the battle. We got separated. It was ridiculous how fast things can go downhill.

This morning was peaceful waking up next to Lexa. It was the first time in a while that I hadn’t been woken up by haunting memories of my past. I laid there as lexa started getting ready for the day. She put on her warpaint which made her much more intimidating and much more breathtaking. It wasn’t long after that the first yells of battle begun. 

Our plan fell to pieces almost instantly. They didn’t use the caves as expected. Instead, they sent archers that hid in the trees. At each section we had warriors posted, they shot almost a third of our men. They went rabid, attacking each other. Civil wars broke out at each cave entrance. The king, along with a group of warriors who were positioned at the most active cave, retreated to Arkadia. I caught sight of the hooded figure I hadn’t seen since our fight in the Polis candle store. The one with the mysterious arrows. Being reminded of the arrows and our run in, I pieced two and two together. The arrows are laced with the red drug. It was impossible not to recognize it after everything I’ve been through.

Everyone was scrambling to recover control. It was impossible. As we fought with our own people, reapers were sent in. At first they ignored me, smelling that I was of their blood. I must’ve been a target ingrained in their head by Cage or Dante. Their eyes would pass over me, but quickly scan back, analyzing my appearance. They’d attack with confusion. There’s no doubt in my mind I was their biggest target. Reaper after reaper came after me. I killed every one of them. I’ve lost count of how many I’ve killed.

I caught sight of Raven handing off supplies to Murphy through the tent flap of one of the few tents still standing. I ran to them. “What’s going on?” I asked.

“Bringing in some support,” Murphy said. I looked inside the bag Raven handed him. It was full of explosives. Murphy closed the bag and hurried off. I pulled Raven inside the tent. “That’s enough explosives to destroy all of Arkadia,” I said.

“There are enough reapers here to destroy all of us,” she replied. “I’m trying to fix this frequency device, but I can’t get it right. If I could figure it out, we could win this easily.” I took Raven in. She was really sweating. She was under a lot of stress both mentally and physically trying to create the weapons we need.

A loud scream from outside caught my attention. I ran out. Monroe was on the ground clutching her head, squirming in pain. I dropped on my knees next to her. Her legs were kicking into the dirt and she was growling and screaming. An arrow was buried in the side of her thigh. She rolled onto her stomach and I saw another arrow head in her back. She rolled back over, still screaming in pain. Foam was coming out of her mouth. I didn’t know what to do.

Her eyes kept catching mine. “Clarke! Clarke!” she screamed. “Kill me! Please!”

“You know I can’t do that,” I pleaded with her. “You’re going to be fine. I’ll help you! I’ll take you to the med tent.”

She grabbed a fistfull of my shirt and pulled me closer. “No, Clarke! I can’t take it anymore! I can see all of them! All of their bodies!” She clutched her head again and kicked around in pain, screaming. I didn’t know what she was talking about, but it was clear she was suffering. She asked me to end her suffering, but I didn’t know if I could.

“Clarke! Please!” She screamed so hard there was no doubt her throat was bleeding at this point. She was hysterical, crying and clawing at her head and my clothes. One eye was dilated while the other was fine. She had brain damage. I made my decision. 

I held her arms down and whispered my agreement to her. She calmed slightly, but her head shook involuntarily, almost like a seizure, as whatever images played across her mind. Her ears were now bleeding. I place my hand on her cheek. “Hey, look at me.” She was in and out of her head, trying to focus on me. “Thank you for your loyalty and friendship. You’ll be in a better place now. May we meet again.” I stuck my dagger into her neck, right through her artery. As I pulled it out and watched her eyes fade, I heard her whisper, “Thank you.”

Tears built up in my eyes, but I held them in, refusing to let them fall.

“Clarke!”

I looked up. Lexa was being overrun by three reapers. I sprang into action. I immediately drove my sword through a reaper, killing him. Lexa and I stood back to back as we took on the other two. Both attacked at the same time. I yelled, “Duck!” We both ducked and let the reapers wound each other. They weren’t big enough wounds to stop them. The reaper attacking me swung his sword. I brought mine up to block, which was a bad idea. The shock painfully vibrated up my arm. I almost lost my sword as I stumbled away. As I caught a better grip on my sword, I struck the ground, sending dirt into the reaper’s eyes. He was momentarily blinded.

I took advantage and ran up to him. I stepped on his slightly bent leg. My other leg kicked him under the chin as I flipped backwards over Lexa. She caught sight of me and spun around to strike my opponent. I landed between Lexa and the reaper she was fighting. I kept my momentum going and rolled backwards through the reapers legs. His back was exposed to me. I stabbed my sword through him. He dropped to his knees and I kicked his body to the ground to free my sword. Lexa was doing the same to the other reaper.

I was suddenly blindsided by another one. I was barely able to get out of the way. His sword made a big wound cutting across my side and some of my stomach. I grunted, catching Lexa’s attention. “Clarke!” Another reaper showed up, attacking Lexa. I was on my own. One hand clutched my side while the other held my sword. The reaper sent attack after attack. I fought through the pain, dodging or blocking every blow.

My heart dropped into my stomach as I watched my sword fly from my hand. At the same time, the reaper shoulder me into the ground. I looked up at him with no energy to move. My side hurt too much. I watched as Lexa took down a reaper, turning to me to try to help, but it was too late. His sword was already coming down. I looked Lexa in the eyes thinking this was going to be my last moment alive.

A loud clang echoed. I looked up and saw another sword that intercepted the reaper’s blow. I followed that sword to Atom. He brought his sword back up and sliced off the reaper’s hand. The reaper tried throwing punches with his other hand, but Atom amputated his other hand and finally struck him through the chest.

He turned to me and helped me up. “Your knight in shining armor has arrived,” he said. Even in battle, he still made jokes. “Thank you,” I said, putting a hand on his shoulder. Lexa came up to my side handing me my sword.

“Your wounded,” she said concerned. Lexa somehow looked untouched. She had dirt and blood on her, but the only wound she had was a cut just to the right of her chin. 

“Everyone is,” I replied.

“Clarke, you should have that looked at,” she insisted. 

“I will when this is finished,” I said. “We’ve got company.” Three reapers were making their way over to us.

All of us were locked in battle. We stayed in the middle as the reapers surrounded us. We fought perfectly. Our communication was perfect and flowed smoothly. Things started getting tough when more joined. It was now three on five, then six, then seven. They kept coming. Just as we’d strike one down, two more would join. I was blocking strike after strike. They were coming left and right, from the front and back. Atom and I struck down two. He bent low swinging his sword as I rolled over his back, stabbing my sword through a reaper. 

Lexa was taking four reapers at a time, somehow managing to keep up. She reached her sword behind her, blocking a blow to her head. She spun around wounding one’s torso. Following through with her strike, she did a three sixty, hitting another one. She jumped back as a spear shot at her side. One of her arms that was above the spear came down, while the one below came up. Her forearms hit the spear in opposite directions, snapping it in half. She pulled on the remaining spear, bringing the reaper forward. He shielded her from another strike. The sword that was meant for Lexa went through the reaper instead. Lexa cut off the other reaper’s arm which still held onto his sword. She finished him with a slash to the throat.

I had two more approaching me. One swung to the left with their sword. The other attempted to split me in half with an ax. I rolled to the side as the ax made a loud thud in the ground. He struggled to get it free from the dirt. As I rolled to my knee, I held my sword up, blocking the blow from the other reaper. I stabbed at his knee, driving my sword through the joint. His leg collapsed. He attacked again. I rolled under it again, using my momentum to strike down the reaper still struggling to free his ax. The reaper still left standing charged me. I bent over, ducking under his sword. His body kept coming forward. As soon as enough of his weight was on my back, I shot up, sending him flying through the air. He landed hard on his back where Lexa finished him off by stabbing her sword through him.

She ran up to me. “I have to go get a head count on our people. We might have to retreat. Will you be okay?” Sweat coated her face and she now had a new shallow cut across her cheek and a wound on her shoulder. She kept eyeing my head and side.

“Yes. Go! I can keep fighting,” I said.

“Please don’t be stupid, Clarke. Find Nyko if you have to,” she said.

I nodded and she ran off.

“Clarke!” Atom called me. He was being attacked by two reapers. I ran to help him. It was like a dance. Our feet moved methodically with each other, our back facing each other. The only problem was my movements were starting to get slower. The blood loss was getting to me. My arms were feeling heavy. Another reaper joined. I was becoming very aware of how much the muscles in my arms were burning. I kept going though, barely keeping up.

“Clarke!” Atom’s voice was filled with desperation. I watched from my peripherals Atom lunging out with his sword, blocking another reaper who just joined the fight. I turned and threw my sword up, cutting off the reapers arm and fluidly slicing his throat. Atom’s yell to my left made my heart stop. 

A sword was sticking out of his chest. His eyes were wide looking at me. I held his stare as tears filled my eyes. He fell to his knees and the reaper kicked him in the back while simultaneously pulling the sword out of his back. “NOOOOO!” I screamed. Movement in the trees caught my eye. The hooded figure sat on a branch watching me. I stared back.

I felt a new wave of energy and adrenaline course through me. Most of all, anger flooded my mind. No. Not anger. That emotion wasn’t strong enough. Absolute rage consumed me. With lightning speed I cut down four reapers in less than ten seconds.

I dropped to my knees next to Atom. I turned him onto his back. He was still alive, barely holding on. I cradled his head. “Atom, I’m so sorry.” I didn’t stop the tears this time. They freely rolled down my cheeks.

He smiled. “It’s not your fault. Always trying to take the blame. Let other people be stupid for once.”

I tried to laugh but a sob came out instead. “I should’ve been faster. I should’ve paid more attention. I should’ve–” He went into a coughing fit, coughing up blood.

“You know what you should do?” His voice was barely a whisper. It gargled some with the blood coming up. “You should accept Wanheda as apart of yourself. You should be yourself. Wanheda isn’t bad. You’ve helped so many. Now go and kick some reaper ass and give us the freedom we are fighting for. I know you’ll do it.”

“I will! I promise.” I saw the light leaving his eyes. “May we meet again,” I said, my voice cracking.

“May we…” his voice trailed off and he exhaled his last breath. Another sobbed escaped me. I rested his head on the ground and closed his eyes.

I looked up to the trees again. The hooded figure was still there. I got to my feet and started walking toward them with determination. I couldn’t see my face, but I was sure it looked deadly. They ran back into the forest.

I took one more step but stopped myself. I looked down at Atom’s body, replaying his words in my mind. I took a calming breath and headed in the opposite direction. I marched straight to my room. I pulled out a chest from under my bed and opened it. Inside was Wanheda’s gear, perfectly folded. 

I slipped it on and applied my warpaint. I stood in front of a mirror. I barely recognized myself through the blood that was now partially covered by paint. This was the moment where everything changed. Lexa would probably find out my identity by the end of this battle. It would possibly break our relationship, but I was tired of hiding. It’s time I made a drastic change to this war. I refused to let anyone else die. I left my room and took off in the direction of the battle.

“Clarke!” Octavia grabbed my arm as I ran by. “We need reinforcements at the first cave entrance.”

We both ran in the direction of the cave. I knew we were close when the leaves started turning red and a metallic smell became more prominent. There were multiple fights going on. Lincoln was fighting off two reapers at the moment. Lexa was off to the side in a fight of her own. In the center, there was a crowd of reapers. In the middle of that crowd was King Gustus taking on every one of them.

As Octavia and I went to help him, we saw him go down. He disappeared under the crowd of reapers. We fought our way through, trying to clear the area so we could help him. I struck down the last reaper and turned to Octavia. “Go help Lincoln and Lexa. I got the king.”

I went to his side. He had a wound going across his entire torso, starting at his shoulder and ending at the opposite hip. Some of his intestines were visible. It had only been minutes, but he was already turning pale from blood loss. I couldn’t save him, just like Atom and Monroe.

“Wanheda,” he said. “It’s about time you showed up. For someone my daughter talked so highly and so much about, I expected to see you sooner.”

“Father!” Lexa’s voice rang through the forest. She noticed he was down.

“Protect my daughter, Clarke,” King Gustus said to me. I was so speechless that all I could do was nod. He knew it was me. That was such a big responsibility to take on. I had been protecting Lexa for a while now, but now I made a promise to her father that I would. A new responsibility weighed on my shoulders. It wasn’t a burden though. I would happily and willingly protect her to my death.

As Lexa ran over, I covered the worst of his wound by rearranging his shirt. Lexa kneeled next to him. I stood up and took a few steps back to give her privacy while still being able to watch over her. They spoke only for a minute before I saw Lexa close his eyes.

Lexa eyed me strangely. I didn’t know what to think of it. Just then a new wave of reapers dropped from the trees. We were surrounded, much like the king was.

Octavia, Lincoln, and the few left of Lexa’s army were thrown into the middle with us. None of the reapers were attacking us. They only formed a wall with their bodies, encompassing us. We were easily outnumbered. No one could get reinforcements. No one could help us.

I was starting to feel the effects of my wounds again. Everything ached and felt heavy. I have lost so much blood. I honestly wasn’t sure if I’d make it through to the end of this fight.

A loud crack came from above us. Our heads shot up just in time to the hooded figure drop from a branch. They landed in a crouch and stood up calmly, surveying us. A deep chuckle came from them. “You guys are harder to take down than we anticipated.” He slowly walked in circles around us. “But I got you right where I want you. Especially you, Wanheda. Feel broken yet? No? Don’t worry. That feeling will come soon.” His voice sounded very familiar. There was no doubt in my mind that I had met this man before, not just in his hooded gear. He came to a stop in front of Lexa and I. “How about you, your highness? Or should I say your majesty?” His head tilted slightly toward the king’s body behind him. “I bet you’re hurting right now. You just don’t show it.”

He walked over to Lincoln. Lincoln looked as if he was moments away from ripping out the hooded figure’s throat. “What about you, Lincoln? Long time, no see. Your eyes are looking a bit normal. We’ll have to fix that.” He walked back in front of Lexa and I. “Now this can go in two ways. The first way is nice and easy. You’ll all surrender yourselves and then be transported to Mount Weather. The second way is a lot harder and a lot more fun. What’s your choice?”

An animalistic grunt came from behind me. Lincoln took off sprinting at the hooded figure. Lincoln was knocked to the ground, but not without revealing the hooded figure’s identity. Lincoln had managed to rip his hood off, revealing his face. A couple reapers stepped forward and pointed their weapons at Lincoln to keep him down.

I felt the air rush out of my lungs as I caught sight of his face. I stumbled back, but was steadied by Lexa. There was more anger in his voice now. I think he was trying to smile, but he could only bare his teeth. It made sense why Lincoln was so consumed by anger. I felt myself beginning to feel the same way.

“That wasn’t very obedient for a reaper, Lincoln.” The unhooded figure approached me, but kept enough distance in case I was to try anything. “How could I forget you, Wanheda?” He noticed Lexa’s steady hand on my elbow. “It’s clear you haven’t forgotten me. You didn’t stay for the whole reaper experience, but I know there’s still a reaper inside of you.”

With no warning he pulled out his bow and shot an arrow into my thigh. My leg collapsed and I now kneeled. My leg was on fire and the burning slowly spread through the rest of my body. I stared at the ground as images flashed across my mind. I was strapped to a table. I was screaming in pain as liquid fire went into my bloodstream. His laugh echoed in my mind. I killed another reaper for the red drug. I ran through the reaper caves.

His hand gripped my chin, breaking my string of memories. He tilted my head up to him. “Emerson.” My voice came out gruff, filled with anger. My anger was rising. I hungered for blood. I fought the urge. Sweat almost instantly began dripping down my face, mixing with blood from my wounds.

An evil smile spread across his face. “My identity has been revealed. It’s only fair that yours is too.” He ripped my hood off. He roughly released my chin and pulled me forward, forcing me to face my friends. “Shocker, right? Not really. You all probably knew, except you.” He pointed at Lexa. I looked at her. Her face was stoic and her eyes were locked on mine. I tried to express my apology through my eyes. 

Just then, more pain erupted through my entire body. I doubled over. I was turning into a reaper, and I didn’t have enough energy to stop it. Emerson grabbed my collar and yanked me up to my knees. “You’ve gotten a lot weaker since last time.” He pulled the arrow out of my leg. I groaned with pain. He studied the arrow. “Still, you’re not giving in as easily as I’d like.” He stabbed another arrow in my leg and one into my upper back. “That should speed things up a bit. In the meantime, let’s address you all.”

My whole body was on fire. My vision was blurry. I collapsed to the ground, clawing at the dirt, praying for some sort of relief.

“Who are you?” Lexa voice showed no fear. She looked between Emerson and I.

“How rude of me. My name is Emerson. I’m known as a Mountain Man to you guys. I do my bosses dirty work and create reapers. Clarke and I go way back. Isn’t that right, Clarke?” He turned to me and watched me convulse in pain. I held myself up as I threw up. Only blood came out. I managed to look up at him. “Rot in hell!” He stuck another arrow in me. A new wave of pain coursed through my body.

I heard Lincoln off to my left struggling to get free. “Let me go! You bastard! I should’ve killed you when I had the chance!” I heard him get wrestled to the ground.

Emerson simply smiled. “You know, Clarke, you remind me of someone from a while ago. Except you don’t have her eyes. You have your father’s.” He fell silent for a moment. “I had her in a similar position you are now, and you know how that story ends. You were there after all. Your broken body was last thing your mother saw.”

I held down my pain. “Why are you doing this? I was only a kid. I did nothing.” My voice was full of pain. I felt tears falling down my face, or what I thought were tears. When the tears hit the ground, they were red. Was blood coming out of my eyes?

“At first it wasn’t because of you. It was because of your father. He had to pay for his treason. Then you became Wanheda. We were bringing in less and less Skaikru which meant we were saving less of our people. You’ve cost us a lot of lives and resources, Clarke. You made me lose my daughter and my wife. That’s something I can’t forgive.”

A new wave of pain came over me. It was so much more intense. I felt the reaper clawing to the surface. I fought as hard as I could to repress it. “Fight it, Clarke!” Octavia yelled.

“Man, where the hell is Cage? I’m running out of monologues here.” Emerson looked around to see if he could spot Cage coming from the distance. “Let’s make things a little more interesting in the meantime.” He shot two arrows into Lincoln. He fell to the ground writhing in pain.

The pain was too much. I screamed out at the top of my lungs. I flipped to my back and arched in pain. It seemed like it lasted for an eternity. In reality it lasted for thirty seconds before the pain finally stopped. My body slumped to the ground exhausted. Instead of the intense burning, waves of pleasure circulated through my veins. My mind seemed far from reality. It was as if I was observing the world around me, like there was a disconnection or estrangement between me and the world. The reaper was gaining control. It was winning. I felt it grip my heart and pull itself to the surface.

My breathing picked up as well as my anger and blood lust. Emerson was above me, looking down. “There you are,” he said. 

I rolled to my stomach and slowly lifted myself up, taking in my surroundings. The arrows were still stuck in me. I pulled each one out and threw them to the ground. I locked eyes with Lexa. Instead of the usual excitement and butterflies that invade me, all I felt was rage and the desire to rip her limb from limb.

The more I looked at my friends, the more I didn’t recognize them. I was overcome with a feeling of weakness. I felt drained. A headache was coming on. I stumbled. “Need more already? Your blood loss is making it harder for the drug to stay in your system,” Emerson said. “Tell you what, I’ll give you another dose if you kill all of them.”

I could get the red drug. All I had to do was kill them. I lunged forward. I had no weapons except the daggers hidden on my person. The green eyed brunette knocked me to the side, enraging me further. I quickly spun around, pulling out a dagger and aiming it at her throat. She caught my wrist. 

“I’m not going to hurt you. This isn’t you, Clarke,” she said. That name being spoken made an image of the same women in a library of sorts flash in my mind for a fraction of a second. I didn’t let it deter me, though. 

I continued to attack. She knocked me in the back and I fell forward onto the ground. I looked up and stared at the man who held the red drug. He taunted me with it, waving it back and forth in his hand. I stood up being drawn toward it. “No,” he said. “You know the deal.”

I didn’t care what he had to say. All I needed was the red drug. I gripped my dagger tighter and attacked. He blocked my strikes, but was barely able to keep up. “Don’t just stand there! Get her!” Reapers on either side of us move forward.

I wrestled him to the ground and desperately reached for the drug. Just then, the other man struggling with the drugged arrows from earlier came in, also fighting for the drug. The other reapers grabbed us. When we were pulled to our feet we fought back. Everything turned to hell. “I know when I should exit. Cage can deal with this if he ever comes.” The man with the drug pulled his hood up and climbed a tree. He began running from tree to tree, escaping.

I couldn’t allow for that. I followed after him. I stumbled from tree branch to tree branch, hot on his trail. He didn’t get too far, only about seventy meters. I closed the distance and tackled him out of the tree. We both landed hard on the ground. Air was knocked out of my lungs. 

We fought, each of us using a dagger as our choice of weapon. My wave of attacks sent him stumbling backwards. My new strength was pushing him back. I was able to land a strike on his cheek. A wide open cut ran from the top of his ear to the bottom of his chin. 

Explosions went off in the distance. It was the perfect distraction. I tore my dagger across his stomach. He looked down shocked, clutching his stomach. I took him to the ground. I was about to deliver the final blow, but I hesitated when a wide smile broke out on his face.

Something hard hit into my side. I flew a few feet in the air before I felt the ground beneath me again. It was another reaper. I got to my feet. He didn’t attack again. We were both trying to figure out who to attack. We were both of the same blood, but the man with the red drug was in charge of reapers.

Another person dropped from the trees. It was the green eyed brunette. This woman was not a reaper. She made the decision easy. We both faced her and lunged. The hooded figure took this time to escape. She kept knocking me back or to the ground with the butt of her sword. She took out the other reaper and turned her full attention to me.

“Clarke, please come back. I know you’re in there.” Her voice was calm, but there was a hint of desperation.

I ignored her and lunged at her again. She blocked me and went to land another blow on me with the butt of her sword. I caught her arm and threw my shoulder into her. She stumbled backwards.

“Clarke, focus. It’s me Lexa.” I brought my dagger down, aiming for her heart. She grabbed my wrist and punched me in the chest. She backed up to create space between us. “You’re Clarke. We’re friends.”

I charged her and knocked us both to the ground. Her sword clattered off a few feet away. I brought my dagger down. She caught it and pushed up against me. I pushed down harder and brought in my other hand to use more force. The dagger was slowly inching closer and closer to her chest. She now used both hands too.

“Clarke, please look at me.” I was focused on the dagger, trying to force it down. “Clarke, look at me. Think of what you’re doing. Clarke!” The desperation in her voice made me involuntarily look up at her. There was fear and worry in her eyes. I saw a flash of her sitting at a table, fiddling nervously with her hands. I was put off for a second. This was enough time to give her the advantage.

She directed the dagger upwards and it embedded itself into the ground right above her head. She rolled us over so I was under her, grabbing my hands and pinning them above my head. She was so close to me. I could smell her pleasant outdoor scent, except there was blood mixed in this time. A flash of her hugging me went before my eyes. For a second, I almost recognized her.

“I know you’re in there, Clarke. I saw you for a split second.” I struggled to break free from her hold. She threw my wrists harder into the ground. “You’re Clarke Griffin. Your friends are Raven and Octavia. You saved Lincoln. You brought him back from being a reaper and brought him back from the dead.”

I got my hands free and punched her in the face. Her lip busted open. I took her few moments of shock to my advantage and flipped us over. She grabbed my head and put it in a lock. “You’ve saved me multiple times.” I saw her taking down multiple reapers at once and then I saw myself taking an arrow for her. Why would I have saved her?

I stopped fighting her for a second. I saw her standing there with another woman and a man. I was coughing. I saw her laughing at me as I was on the ground next to another girl. I saw us standing over a map, talking.

Her grip slowly loosened on me. I raised my head up. She gently held my face. “Clarke?” She looked so familiar. Just staring at her made me feel warm. She made me feel safe. 

My limbs began shaking. More sweat began to drip down my face and my headache increased. I needed the red drug. I had to kill her fast. I grunted with anger. Her eyes widened and she kicked me to the side, standing up creating more distance.

“Come on, Clarke. Fight it!” She backed up as I approached her. “You are the most amazing person I have ever met. Even though we’ve only known each other a few months, I’ve never had a friend like you. You’ve sacrificed so much for me, so much for your people.”

I walked toward her, ready to attack, but then I hesitated. I saw me teaching her archery. I saw us sitting under a tree enjoying each other’s company. I saw us in a tent sharing stories and dozing off together. 

My head was really hurting at this point.

“Le–” I couldn’t remember her full name, but I knew I didn’t want to hurt her. A sudden wave of pain overcame my whole body. I fell to my knee. I had to get the red drug. I fought through the pain and advanced toward her.

I attempted to stab her. My coordination was leaving me. She grabbed my arm and pulled it across my body, twisting me around. My back was pulled into her while she held both my arms to my chest. “Come on, Clarke. Come back to me,” she said in my ear.

Another wave of pain went through me. I groaned and push myself away from her. I stumbled over my own feet. I turned to look at her. My mind was telling me so many different things. I clutched my head. It felt as if it was pulsing beneath my hands.

Kill her. Get the drug. Don’t kill her. She’s someone important to you. My mind kept going back and forth. My whole body was shaking. I looked up at her. Her eyes held as much pain as I felt. I couldn’t allow myself to kill her. I’ve hurt her enough. I can’t hurt her anymore. But I had to. It is the only way to get the drug. NO!

I looked at my dagger and then to her green eyes. I had to. I positioned the dagger so it was pointing at my abdomen. I hesitated for a second and then went for it. 

“NO!” I was tackled to the ground. My head hit the ground and my ears rang. As the ringing in my ears subsided and it became less muffled, I heard painful grunts coming from next to me. It was Lexa. The dagger was sticking out of her shoulder. I scrambled next to her as she sat up. “Lexa,” I said breathlessly.

Relief filled her face as she gently cupped my jaw. “Clarke?”

I was trying to kill her. I almost killed myself. There were too many things to process. My head was overwhelmed. “I’m so sorry.” Tears freely ran down my cheeks. “I’m so–” She pulled me into a tight hug. “It’s okay,” she whispered to me. “It’s okay.” We held each other as if the world would end if we let go. I cried in her shoulder and I felt her own tears fall onto my shoulder.

I suddenly went into a coughing fit. All of my energy drained from me. Lexa pulled me back and caught me as I began to fall to the ground. She gently set me on my back. “We need to get you to Nyko.”

“I don’t think I can move,” I said. My vision was becoming blurry. I’m surprised I lasted this long. “I can carry you,” she said. She opened her mouth to say something else, but got cut off when reapers dropped from the trees.

She stood up fast and grabbed her sword. I attempted to stand, but quickly fell back down. We were surrounded. There was no way we were going to make it out of this. 

The first one attacked, causing the wave of reapers to surge forward. Lexa was trying as hard as she could to keep up. She was blocking, spinning, dodging, parrying, attacking, doing anything and everything to get us both out of here alive. She sliced her sword across one reaper causing him to spin through the air. One went for me, but she put a stop to that quickly.

My vision was beginning to fade out. I watched as Lexa fought while darkness crept in the edges of my vision. I had never seen her fight like this. It was beautiful yet painful and gory. It was tragically beautiful. A reaper was able to land a hit on her thigh. Her leg collapsed, but she still fought. They were closing in on her, ready to collapse on top of her and swallow her up like the king.

The last thing I saw was Lexa desperately reaching out to block a powerful blow from a reaper and about a dozen explosions going off surrounding us. I fell into oblivion to the sound of a high pitched ringing sound.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me tell you, I struggled to write just a three paged paper last week. This thing I easily wrote over twenty pages. If only I could write like this for academics.
> 
> Anyway, the moment you've all been waiting for.

“We need to stabilize her.” The voice sounded as if it was underwater.

There was a flash of bright light and then darkness.

***

“Hand me that needle.”

“Hold her down.”

“Hold her!”

Blinding pain erupted through my side. It was too much. My senses shut down and everything went black.

***

“You’re going to be okay, Clarke” The way they said my name for some reason made me believe them. 

I opened my heavy eyelids. All I could see was a blurry figure. Their hands were on my face. “Clarke?” They came into focus for a moment. Her bright green eyes were filled with worry and panic. My vision started to fade. Before everything went black, all I could think was that I wanted to make it through just for them. 

***

I had never felt absolute nothingness before, until this moment. I felt as if I was floating.

***

“We’re losing her again!” 

Another bright light flashed across my vision and then everything went dark again.

***

_ I was running. My legs were moments from giving out. Stride after stride, I forced my way through the forest, leaping over fallen trees and kicking through plants. I heard their footsteps closing in on me. Then I saw them. My friends were a few hundred meters in front of me, beckoning me closer. I ran harder. My legs were close to giving out. _

_ At the front of them stood Lexa. She wasn’t calling me like the rest. She looked at me, terrified. Her beautiful green eyes held tears that were barely clinging on. She looked on, saying nothing, doing nothing, just expressing her fear. _

_ Suddenly, someone leapt from a tree and rammed into my side. I went flying. I was stopped by my back hitting hard into a tree. I fell to the ground limp. My whole body ached. My back felt broken. My attacker lifted my head up by my hair. It was Emerson who had a sickening smile on his face. I would love nothing more than to tear it right off. _

_ He pulled out a syringe filled with the red drug and injected it in my neck. My whole body was instantly on fire. I went to scream, but no sound came out. He threw me against the tree. My back was now supported by it. I attempted to get up to attack, but now I couldn’t move. I was paralyzed. Emerson pulled his hood up as reapers appeared from behind trees. Each one was dragging one of my friends, tied up and gagged. _

_ He gestured for one to come forward. The reaper holding Raven threw her into the center of the circle they had created. Emerson took a few steps back and pulled out his bow. He knocked an arrow and released it. It buried itself deep into Raven’s throat. The arrow head was just visible through the back of her neck. Raven dropped to the ground dead. My mouth opened to scream again, but still no sound came out. Tears were rushing down my face. _

_ He did this one by one. First to Raven, then Octavia, Bellamy, Atom, Harper, Monty, Jasper, even Murphy. He went through all of Arkadia, all of Skaikru, including my mother. All of their bodies piled on top of each other.  _

_ Then there was only one left standing, Lexa. She still had the same terror and fear in her eyes. The whole time her eyes never wandered from me. She willingly walked forward and kneeled in front of the hooded figure. My chest tightened with pain. I had to watch her die knowing that I can’t do anything to save her. I tried so hard to move, to scream, to do something. It was hopeless. _

_ I watched on as he shot an arrow through her. She fell in slow motion onto her side. Even though she was dead the instant the arrow struck her, her eyes still held mine the whole way down. Blood leaked from her throat, creating a pool around her head and shoulders. It felt as if my entire world collapsed. My heart shattered into a million pieces. I couldn’t breathe.  _

_ I opened my mouth to scream one last time. At first there was no sound, but then I heard it. The faint sound of my blood curdling scream. It slowly got louder and louder. As I regained my voice, I noticed my entire body was shaking.  _

_ Finally, I could move. I launched myself at Emerson. I only ran a few steps before he took out both of my legs with two arrows. My chest hit the ground, but I kept going, clawing at the dirt, trying to reach Emerson. He casually walked toward me and kicked my head, tossing me onto my back. My vision was blurry. I was on the verge of losing consciousness. He kneeled next to me and pulled back his hood. _

_ It wasn’t Emerson anymore. It was my father. _

I jumped awake, taking a huge breath. Where was I? What was happening? I frantically tried to focus my eyes on the room around me, but all I could see was the searing brightness produced from my unadjusted eyes to the light. Someone grabbed my wrists. I didn’t know who it was and that made me panic more. I tried to break free and even threw a punch, connecting with nothing except air. 

The hands grabbed my wrists again and held them to my chest. I felt a hand cup my jaw. “Clarke. Clarke. It’s me. Calm down.” The voice sounded familiar. It instantly sent a wave of warmth through me. As they continued to say my name and gave me small reassurances that I was alright, I gradually calmed down. My breath came out fast and panicked as my eyes adjusted. Slowly a silhouette came into view. I blinked the blurriness away. 

“It’s okay, Nyko. I can handle her. Leave us,” the same calming voice said.

The first thing I focused on was bright green eyes. The next thing I saw was a giant smile filled with elation. I felt her hand on mine. She kept quiet as I took in my surroundings, trying to clear my confusion. I was in a long room that had beds lined up all down the wall. The ones that had occupants were concealed by curtains enclosing them. I had been here before. We were in the castle. I looked back at Lexa. Her eyes held tears now.

“Hey,” she said, almost in a whisper. 

“Hi,” I said, equally as quiet.

We stared at each other for a few silent moments. “You gave us quite a scare,” she finally said. “Do you remember what happened?”

I tried to speak only to go into a coughing fit. A shock of pain went all across my ribs. I clutched them and turned onto my side. It provided no relief. Lexa’s hand was quickly on my back, rubbing soothingly up and down. When I was done, she rolled me on my back. She lifted my head to help me drink some water.

The dryness left my throat and I was able to speak. “Ow.”

Lexa let out a sad breathless laugh. “Ow is right. You’ve broken a few ribs, not to mention the wound going across your right side. You also have a concussion and other various smaller wounds scattered throughout your body.” The entire battle played through my mind. I remembered how I got each and every one of my wounds. I remembered all those that we lost. I replayed Lexa getting injured and coming close to death before I passed out.

“What about you? Are you alright?” My voice came out hoarse.

She chortled. “I’m fine, but you should be concerned about yourself for the time being. You’re the one in the hospital bed after all.”

“But I remember your leg getting wounded and your arm.” My eyes scanned her whole body for injuries. She had a cut on her bottom lip and one on her jaw. I looked down toward her legs, trying to catch sight of the more serious wound. Her hand found my cheek and gently directed me to look back up at her.

She smiled, a little amused. “Trust me, Clarke. I’m okay.” Her hand left my face, leaving me longing for her touch, but then she found my hand again. “I’m glad to hear that you remember everything.” Her expression turned to a grimace.

“What happened afterwards? How many more did we lose?” I tried sitting up to get a better look at the hospital beds around me. Her hands pushed lightly on my shoulder, making me lay back down.

“Calm down, Clarke. No one else was killed. There were a few more injuries, but that’s it. Raven and Octavia are fine.” Relief flooded me. I let out a relieved sigh, but then remembered the scene that unfolded before me moments before I went unconscious.

“What happened after I blacked out? I remember explosions. I don’t know if my mind made that up or if that really happened.”

“I’m afraid not,” she said. “That really happened. I don’t think you should hear about all this now. You just woke up and I don’t want you to get worked up. You need to rest.”

“I can’t rest until you tell me.” My mind would continuously formulate different scenarios that could’ve possibly taken place. It would be impossible for my mind to calm enough for me to actually get some rest.

Her eyes bounced back and forth between mine, trying to decide whether or not to tell me. Lexa eventually looked down and let out a long sigh, realizing how fast my mind was spinning. “When we separated, I told you that I was going to get a head count on our people, which I did, but I ran into Raven as I was. The numbers weren’t looking good and we came up with a plan. We were going to have our people retreat while Raven set up bombs throughout Arkadia and wherever there were Mountain Men. I was trying to get my father, Octavia, and Lincoln out when you came in. Then you know what happened from there.” 

Her voice was shaking. She took a moment to collect herself. “You went down and the reapers were overwhelming me. I was prepared to fight to my death in that moment, but then Raven’s bombs finally went off. Most of the reapers were killed or injured. The explosions didn’t fully reach us, but luckily Raven came in with the high pitched frequency device. They retreated after that. Arkadia was destroyed. Almost nothing is left, but it was either Arkadia or us. We retrieved all the bodies we could, but most of them were reduced to ash. You were unresponsive. I would’ve thought you were dead if it weren’t for the tiny breath that left your nose.” 

“How long have I been out?”

“About a week and a half.” My eyes widened in shock. I really had my ass kicked.

A tear fell down her cheek. I had never seen her cry before, and it alarmed me. She looked beautiful, but at the same time, it was a horrible sight to see her like this. I didn’t want her in any emotional distress. I caught it with my thumb and wiped it away. “We lost you twice. I didn’t think I was ever going to see those blue eyes again. You’re strong, Clarke, and I am so thankful for that.” Another tear made its way down her cheek.

I closed my eyes and took a deep angered breath. I wasn’t strong. I succumbed to the reaper and almost killed her. If I was strong, I would’ve defeated Mount Weather a long time ago and now Arkadia is destroyed. All that I’ve worked so hard to create is destroyed. I’m beginning to see no end to our suffering.

Then I remembered a very significant portion of the battle. She knew I was Wanheda. She knows that I’ve been lying to her this whole time. “How can you be thankful for that?” My voice was small and broken.

She looked at me confused until the realization dawn on her. “Clarke, save the Wanheda discussion for another time. Just know that I don’t hate you. I don’t think I ever could. I accept you as Wanheda, but no matter what you wear, whether that’s warpaint and hidden blades, you’re still Clarke to me. At the end of the day, you’ve saved a lot of people.” She gave my hand a reassuring squeeze. It didn’t make me feel any better. I’ve never been more confused or wanted to read Lexa’s mind more than in this moment.

“You’re getting too stressed, Clarke. Get some rest. I’ll be here when you wake up.”

At the mention of sleep, I noticed how heavy my eyelids were and how much my body ached for rest. I could barely keep my eyes open. I looked at Lexa through hooded eyelids. “Thank you for saving me.”

“It was about time I returned the favor,” she said. The soothing circles Lexa’s thumb traced on my forearm lulled me to sleep.

***

I began walking around some by the third day of bed rest. Lexa had made it clear that I wasn’t to leave bed for the next week. It was a lost cause and she kind of knew it. That didn’t stop her from trying though. She caught me a few times trying to sneak away from my bed and every time escorted me back.

It bugged me how okay Lexa had seemed about me being Wanheda. She barely gave me any explanation or any thought on it. I was afraid to bring it up again. Everyone was still recovering and trying to find some sort of comfort. So I let it sizzle in my head. When I thought about it too much, I would get overwhelmed by anger. It was the only thing I could really think about while being a prisoner to this bed.

I talked to Raven and Octavia a few times, as well as the remaining Arkadians. Our home was reduced to ruins so Lexa gave us a place to stay in the castle for the time being. We were all dealing with our losses and injuries. Raven’s knee was badly bruised and Octavia had a concussion as well as various wounds and bruises throughout her body. Murphy, unsurprisingly, only sported a cut on his forehead. He always somehow escaped the worst of things.

“What’ll we do next?” Raven asked.

“Not give up. That’s for sure,” Octavia said. “We still have people inside Mount Weather. We have to rescue them.”

“She’s right,” Murphy said. “No matter how much this sucks.”

“Listen,” I said. “We may have lost a few more people and Arkadia, but we’re still standing. Arkadia isn’t really what mattered. We are matters. Our family is what matters. We can always build a new Arkadia. What we have to focus on is saving our friends and keeping each other going. We can’t have let our friends die in vain and we can’t let anymore die either.”

“We did put a big dent in their army. They have to recover just like us, maybe even more.” Raven said.

“Thanks to you, Raven. Your explosives saved everyone,” Kane said.

“Aw shucks. Thanks Kane.”

“Salvation comes at a price. If we can survive this, we can survive anything,” Kane encouraged.

It was nice to have a few moments of motivation, but it was only a moment. Moments don’t last forever. I found myself yet again alone, trapped in the recesses of my mind. 

When the week was up, I took my freedom to my advantage and limped around the castle to distract myself. It didn’t do much. I was falling down a deeper and deeper hole everyday. I kept thinking of everyone I failed and wondered how Lexa could be fine with me after everything. I began to avoid everyone. I would hide in spots that no one really went, like an old art room. I would study every painting that hung on the wall and guess the story behind each one. One of my favorite places to sit was a balcony in an abandoned storage room on the top floor. Furniture covered in blankets filled the room and the only light present was from two glass doors that led to the balcony. I would sit on the railing and overlook the castle grounds.

Kane had once lectured me on how I get too caught up in my head. He always reminded me to return to the present, but that was easier said than done. When something bothers me or I face a problem, I hound it until I come up with a solution. There was only one solution, but something about the thought of confronting Lexa made me apprehensive.

Lexa noticed how avoidant I was. She made multiple attempts to spend time with me and check in on me, but I made excuses most of the time. I agreed a couple times and didn’t offer much entertainment or distraction. All I could think about is how undeserving I was of Lexa. How could she accept me? A killer. A lier. 

One day she called me to her study. As I knocked on the door, I couldn’t help but think how Atom should’ve been standing guard at this door making some joke or giving me words of encouragement before I entered. All I got were expressionless Trikru warriors who barely batted an eye at me.

When I entered, Lexa's back faced me. Her hands were clasped behind her as she stared out the windows that stretched across the back wall. One was open, bringing in a pleasant breeze. 

“You summoned me?”

“Yes,” she said without turning around. Silence hung in the air. I felt the need to fill it, but couldn’t offer anything to say. Her shoulders visibly relaxed and she released her hands. She silently walked to me.

“You’ve been distant lately,” she said.

“I have.” I wasn’t going to deny it. It was obvious.

“I understand you went through a lot in the battle. We all did. I’m giving you the chance to openly talk to me right now. You know that you can talk to me at any time about anything, but I feel that you need some extra pushing. I’ve noticed that you tend to keep everything bottled up.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” There was definitely a lot of things to talk about, but this was the moment I had been dreading since the day I met Lexa. I was getting cold feet and she was right. I do bottle up every emotion and everything that is bothering me. This was one of those moments where I needed to seem strong to the rest of my people. I had to give them a shoulder to cry on. If they saw me being weak, that would reflect in them.

Lexa sighed in frustration. “I don’t understand.” She turned and walked a few steps away from me, then turned back. “There is something clearly bothering you and you won’t tell me or even hint at what it is. Don’t you trust me?” I knew that she didn’t truly question my trust in her. She was just trying to make sense of my behavior.

“Lexa, we just came out of a bad fight. You can’t expect me to be all peachy right afterwards.”

“That’s not what I’m saying.” She walked back to me. “I know this isn’t the battle that’s on your mind or at least not fully. I’ve seen you after fights. This is different.”

“Why do you care?” I don’t know why I asked that. I knew she had an endless list that instantly popped in her head. She cared for the same reasons I cared for her. I felt my frustration start to rise along with my irrationality.

She looked taken aback by my question. “I’m your friend, Clarke. We’ve saved each other’s lives. We fought on the verge of death together. Why wouldn’t I care about you?”

There it was again. Her acceptance. It was something I so desperately craved since I first met her, but now that I was getting it with such ease frustrated me. I didn’t understand her. “Because I’m a killer. Because I’m a lier. Because I’m Wanheda.” My voice became louder and louder as I spoke. “Because I tried to kill you. Because I’m a reaper.” I started approaching her one step at a time. Every emotion I’ve been holding back was beginning to rise to the surface.

Her eyes widen at my sudden outburst and she started backing up. “There are a lot of things about me that would send anyone running, Lexa, but for some reason that doesn’t matter to you. You want to know what’s on my mind? I’ll tell you!” 

“Clarke–” I cut her off. “I’VE DONE SO MANY BAD THINGS! I’VE KILLED SO MANY PEOPLE! I EVEN TRIED TO KILL YOU! I WANTED TO RIP YOU LIMB FROM LIMB AND TASTE YOUR BLOOD ON MY TONGUE! I’M A REAPER! I’M WANHEDA! I AM WHAT HAUNTS PEOPLE’S NIGHTMARES AND YET YOU ARE COMPLETELY OKAY WITH THAT! YOU SHOULD HATE ME!” My voice cracked on the last sentence. I didn’t know who or what I was truly angry with. All I knew is that I held a lot anger and it was coming out right now. Her back hit into her desk. Her hands gripped it tight. I stopped inches from her face.

Our breathes mingled and our eyes bounced all over each other’s faces. “Because I’m a monster, but that doesn’t seem to faze you.” My voice was now close to a whisper. “I should’ve never gotten close to you. I’ve only put you in more danger.” I backed away, realizing my outburst. I turned my back to her and closed my eyes, taking calming breaths.

“Clarke,” she said softly. “I know you don’t regret our relationship. You’ve helped me and I know I’ve helped you. You and I, we are a powerful force. I know you see that too. You’re in a lot of pain, mentally and physically. It’s clouding your mind.”

“All I want is an explanation.” I spoke low.

“All I want is for you to listen, Clarke. Not just hearing my words. I want you to really listen. I want you to hear what I’m saying and analyze it, really think it over. Hopefully you’ll find yourself agreeing with me and see that you aren’t as bad as you say you are.”

I turned around to face her. Lexa took a step forward. “SInce I first met you, I knew you were different. You were smarter than the average person and your combat skills set you apart from other warriors. There were moments when you being Wanheda crossed my mind, but I always dismissed it quickly. The moment when there was no doubt in my mind who you were was right as the battle started. The reapers ignored you just as they had Wanheda the previous time you saved me.”

“You knew that entire time.”

“I did and it still took my breath away when Emerson revealed you. Something about actually seeing you as Wanheda…”

“You don’t understand. You don’t know the things I’ve done. What separates me from the Mountain Men? We both kill for our people.”

“Your heart is in the right place. I’ve heard the stories. I’ve seen you in action. You only kill when it’s necessary. You do it to protect others, to protect humankind as a whole. The Mountain Men are selfish. They murder for their own advantage. Going by what you’ve told me, it sounds like they do a lot worse things than kill.”

That was similar to what I had first said to Dante when he made the comparison. It’s strange how our perception of ourselves compared to our perception of others works. We almost put others on a platform while we bury ourselves in all our sins and flaws. I wish I could see myself through Lexa’s eyes.

“None of us are saints, Clarke. We all have our moments we aren’t proud of. Who we are and who we need to be to survive are very different things.”

“What if you’re wrong? What if it’s who I am now?”

“It’s not. I’ve seen you. I’ve really seen you. I’ve seen the light in your eyes. If you were truly the monster you claim to be, you wouldn’t care about any of this. You wouldn’t care about all the lives you’ve taken.” She took another step forward so she was only a foot away. “You wouldn’t care if there was justice behind your actions. You wouldn’t care if you were morally right.” She took hold of my wrist. “There would be no second thoughts, no contemplation, only murderous acts. You have the most selfless heart I have ever witnessed, Clarke.”

“But I lied to you.” I furrowed my brows and shook my head in disappointment with myself.

Her hand slipped into mine and her other hand did the same. “I know. I’ll be honest it hurt a little, but I’m sure you had your reasons. There’s no easy or safe way to reveal something like that. You have targets on your back and your connections expand that target.”

“I don’t scare you?” 

She took another step forward. There was no room between us. “I’m not scared and I have no reason to be.”

My eyes flickered between her eyes and her lips. She did the same. She began to lean in, but I pulled back slightly. She stopped. “Really think about what you’re doing,” I said.

“I have plenty.” Lexa closed the distance between us. Her hand rested on the left side of my jaw. My hands were on her hips. I must’ve done something right in my life because whoever was in charge of this universe was rewarding me. I’ve never felt softer, more comforting lips. She pulled back slightly and switched directions, keeping our noses touching the whole time. I deepened the kiss. Every emotion I had ever felt towards her, I released into her lips. It felt as if she was doing the same. I felt her frustration, her grief, her happiness. I felt every emotion she held in these moments.

A knock at the door had us jumping apart. We both regained our composure and Lexa ordered them to enter. It was Indra. She had a fresh scar running down her cheek.

“Heda, you’re needed for the final planning of the funeral arrangements.”

“Right. Of course. I’ll be down in a few moments.”

She turned toward me. “I’m sorry–” she started.

“Don’t apologize. I won’t be going anywhere anytime soon. It’s not like I really have a place to go to.”

I watched her leave with Indra. This whole time I had been focusing on myself when Lexa was also going through a lot. She lost her father. I didn’t need to add to her problems. I thought about the king’s last words to me. I had promised him that I would protect Lexa, but I want to take that promise further. I want to always be there for her. I want to hold her when she needs a shoulder to cry on. I want to ease her mind, body, and soul.

***

Before the king’s  funeral started, there was a tribute ceremony to all the Arkadians and warriors lost during the battle. A large bonfire was lit and shrouds with the symbol of each clan who lost warriors was burned. As the Skaikru shroud was burned, the remaining Arkadians and I whispered “May we meet again” to ourselves. I thought of all my friends that I’ve lost, not just the ones lost a couple weeks ago. I thought back to the beginning of all of this. I thought as far back as my mom, the first casualty of this war. I prayed to whoever that they were all in a better place know, a peaceful place where we all dreamed of being. I made a promise to all of them that I would make their war efforts worth it. I would see through everything we wanted to accomplish.

King Gustus’s funeral was massive. Thousands of citizens gathered on the royal grounds to watch the king’s body be ceremoniously burned. Everyone’s heads hung low except Lexa’s. She stood strong in front of her people. She refused to let any emotion slip, but I saw right through her. Deep behind her bright green eyes grief was swirling with the velocity of a tornado.

I stayed by her side the entire time. Titus, the right hand man of the king stood holding a lit torch by the king’s corpse. A shroud with the royal symbol was laid over his body. Titus held the torch out towards Lexa. “Heda.”

Her muscles worked as she clenched her jaw. She stepped forward and hesitantly took the flame. “Your fight is over,” she spoke softly. Lexa touched the flame to the corner of the wood alter his body rested on. Titus took the torch as she took her place by my side. 

We watched on as the flames engulfed his corpse. I took her hand. She held on tight. 

People trickled out as time went on. Lexa and I were the only ones left. She watched on until the last of the embers ceased to glow and the sun had set. I tugged on her hand. “Come on. Let’s go. It’s been a long day.” She nodded and silently followed me.

I led her up to her study. We both sat on the couch.

“I knew I would lose him sooner rather than later. He was always very involved with his people, with his army most of all. He was a warrior as much as he was a king.” She let out a heavy sighed. “Nothing can ever prepare you for something like this.”

“You’re right, nothing can prepare you, but you can adjust.”

She got up and began to walk over to her desk. “I have to pick up where he left off.” 

At those words, I shot up and grabbed her arm. “No you don’t. Not right now at least.”

“I can’t take a break right now, Clarke. My father is dead and there is much that needs to be done. I need to take over now. I single handedly lead all of Polis, all of the clans. That responsibility rests on my shoulders now. The dead are gone, Clarke. The living are hungry. I need to assert myself to my people. I need them to trust in me in such troubling times.”

“They already do. You’re Heda. You brought them peace. They know what kind of leader you are. This work will be here tomorrow and even weeks from now, but you need to look after yourself right now. We’re barely a few weeks out of our fight with the Mountain Men. You’re still recovering from your injuries and grieving the people we lost. You’ve been working almost constantly, making sure everyone is recovering well and your people feel safe. You deserve a day or two off. At least a night.”

She let out a long sigh and closed her eyes. I leaned my forehead against hers. She opened her eyes and looked at me, barely cracking a smile. “Ok,” she whispered.

“Ok,” I whispered back. I kissed her lightly on the forehead. Before I could get more than three inches away from her she redirected me to her lips. It wasn’t like our first kiss. We weren’t releasing our unspoken confessions of love. It was slow and gentle, more like a reassurance, a reassurance that we had each other’s backs. I was conveying to her one of things she taught me the day prior. It was perfectly okay to feel things and express those feelings. The way her hands held my jaw and her lips pressed against mine told me that she understood.

I let her pull back first, allowing her to seek the amount of comfort she desired. “Let’s get you to bed,” I said.

She led me down to the other end of the corridor to her bedroom. It reminded me of her study. There were rows of books on her shelves and a desk in the corner. There was a door in the far right corner that led somewhere, probably to a restroom. Her bed was big and spacious, pressed against the wall. Straight ahead were two open doors that let the moonlight cascade in. The curtains that hung around them blew in the breeze.

“I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep tonight. I keep– I keep seeing…”

“It’s okay. I get nightmares too. I’ll stay if you’d like.” It was weird seeing her so vulnerable. In front of her people she was a strong leader that was unaffected by anything thrown at her. Behind closed doors, with me, she was just a woman. A strong woman who felt the effects of war. Our argument yesterday pushed down the final wall between us. I was an open book to her now as she was to me.

“I would like that.”

Neither of us bothered to change. We fell asleep much like we had in her tent the night before we were attacked. This time, however, we were wrapped in each other’s embrace.

***

I woke up in a panic, thinking I was still stuck in battle for a split second. At first I didn’t recognize where I was, but then caught sight of the sleeping Heda next to me. We had fallen asleep in her room, in an actual bed.

I sunk back into the sheets and watched Lexa’s chest slowly rise and fall. This was one of those rare moments of peace that I learned to savor. She shifted in her sleep, furrowing her brow. She then turned toward me and I put my arm around her. She relaxed again.

I allowed myself to think of nothing except for what was present in this room. I didn’t think about my dad or Bellamy and the others trapped in Mount Weather. I didn’t think about Atom or Monroe. All I thought about was how Lexa was in my arms. I could still feel the tingles on my lips where hers had been the night before. For the first time in weeks, I found myself smiling.

“What are you smiling about?” Lexa startled me. I hadn’t realized she woken up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.”

“S’ok.” I buried my face into the pillow.

“Hey, you didn’t answer my question.” She maneuvered my face out of the pillows and turned me toward her. “What were you smiling about? It’s been a while since I’ve seen you smile.”

“You,” I answered simply. It amused me to see a blush spread across her cheeks.

Now it was her turn to bury her face into the pillow. “It’s too early for this.” Her voice was muffled by the pillow.

“It’s never too early to make you blush.” I chuckled. “How did you sleep?”

“Actually, I slept really well. What about you?”

“Like a baby.”

“That’s good. We both needed the rest.” Lexa closed her eyes and took a deep breathe. “It’s been a while since I had this kind of peace. It’s a shame that the hecticness of life and war are ticking time bombs.”

“We can make this our life. It doesn’t always have to be filled with war. We can get through this.” 

“Together.” The way she stared at me made my heart melt. I couldn’t help myself. I leaned in to place a kiss on her lips. She relaxed into me. When I pulled back, she kept her eyes closed.

“We can stay here a while longer,” she said. “I don’t think anyone will miss us for the next hour.”

“I like the way you think.”

***

Lexa got pulled away to deal with casualties and other consequences suffered from the battle. While she did that, I decided to check up on my friends. A majority of them were sitting outside by the training grounds, talking and watching warriors spar.

“Hey guys,” I greeted. Everyone greeted me back.

“How’s everyone feeling?” I asked.

“Eh.”

“I’ve been better.”

“Ow.”

“Not good.”

“Sucky.”

“Like I’ve been run over by Heda’s horses and carriage,” Octavia said.

“What about you, Clarke?” Raven asked.

“I can really relate to Octavia at the moment.”

“Nyko’s great, though,” Octavia said. “He’s a really good healer, but he’s overwhelmed with so many injuries. Kane’s been trying to help. Might be something you could help with, Clarke. You’re good with that stuff, when you feel up to it of course.”

“I should help him. He’s one of the reasons I’m alive afterall. I’ll wait until my ribs can handle standing a bit longer.”

“Hey!” Murphy’s voice cut through all of the side conversations happening. “Octavia’s boyfriend is about to face off against the giant from Jack and the Beanstalk.”

“Boyfriend?” I questioned.

“He’s not– well… I don’t know really.” She turned her attention to the fight. “Kick his ass, Lincoln!”

“Charming,” I said.

“Get yourself a girl who knows how to encourage you.” John attempted a joke. Murphy smirked at it.

“That was a terrible joke,” Miller said.

“I don’t know if you noticed, but he’s not bright enough to actually come up with a clever joke,” Murphy said.

“Okay. Ouch,” John said.

“Well, prove me wrong,” Murphy challenge.

John lifted his finger to say something and then shook his head. “You’re right.” Everyone laughed.

Lincoln was holding up very well against his larger opponent. I was glad to hear that he had a relatively quick recovery from the red drug. I guess after going through it twice before, he was somewhat used to it. It was good seeing him back in action. This is where he belonged and he finally had the strength to get back to where he started out.

Lincoln was much faster than the other warrior, easily dodging his attacks and doing some of his own when there was an opening.

“I could really go for some of Monty’s moonshine right about now,” Raven said. Everyone voiced their agreement.

“Any alcohol would be nice,” Miller said.

Lincoln rolled under his opponent’s sword and elbowed him in the back, sending him stumbling forward.

“Indra scares me,” Raven admitted.

“She a little intimidating, but I want her to train me,” Octavia said. “I wonder if she’d be willing.”

Lincoln was shouldered to the ground, but rolled backwards, quickly getting back to his feet.

“So Clarke,” Raven said.

“So Raven.” I said back.

“Anything going on between you and the princess?”

I narrowed my eyes at her. “Why are you asking?”

“There may or may not have been a rumor that spread to a few people saying you accompanied Heda to her room and didn’t come out until this morning.”

“We didn’t sleep together if that’s what you’re asking,” I said. “Well, we did sleep together, but in the most literal sense. We both get nightmares and she was worried and all we did was fall asleep next to each other fully clothed. There was no frolicking around. We simply fell asleep. I did not have sex with her.” My face was burning bright red.

Raven was laughing so hard she as clutching her stomach. “Frolicking around? Wow I was not ready for that speech. You didn’t need to get so defensive. I would’ve believed you after the first sentence or if you gave me a simple no.”

“Well, we did kiss”

She immediately stopped laughing and looked at me, her interest peaked. “You what?”

“More than once. It was nice.”

“Power couple of the century,” Raven had an opened mouthed smile that was filled with disbelief. She tapped Octavia on the arm. “Hey, Octavia. Did you hear this?” 

“No, Raven.” I tried to make her shut up.

“Hear what?” Octavia asked.

“Clarke’s been smooching up Heda.”

“What?!” Shock and disbelief filled her face and voice. Everyone turned to look at her. She lowered her voice this time. “Niccceee.”

I rolled my eyes. “Thanks.”

At last, Lincoln disarmed the other warrior. His sword flew far from him as he fell to his back. Lincoln pointed his sword at his opponents throat. “Yield,” the giant said.

“Yeah, Lincoln!” Octavia cheered. Lincoln looked over and smiled. He put his sword away and began walking our way.

“He’s coming. Act natural,” I said.

Raven crossed her uninjured leg and set her hands on her knees, humming, acting like she was meditating. Murphy laid on his side with his one leg up and bent while his hand propped his head up. Miller leaned back on one hand and brought his other one above his brow, acting like he was looking at some intriguing thing off in the distance. I picked up a leaf and acted as if I was studying it. John had his hands rested on his stomach and was pretend laughing at nothing.

“What are you idiots doing?” Octavia asked exasperated.

Lincoln stopped a few meters away from us. He looked very apprehensive about coming any closer. He laughed nervously. “I think that one needs to see Nyko.” He pointed at John.

“I think they all do,” Octavia said. 

“Well, I can save you from them if you’d like to join me for a walk,” he said.

“My knight in shining armor. Later losers.” Octavia got up and began walking with Lincoln.

“Wait!” Raven said, peaking one eye open. “Do you know where we can find some alcohol?”

“To drink?” he asked. “Probably in the kitchen somewhere. If you’re looking for it for your wounds then ask Nyko for some.”

“Great. Thanks,” she said.

As the walked away, everyone relaxed and started cheering and whistling at them. “Come on, Clarke. We have a mission to complete.” Raven grabbed my arm and pulled me toward the castle.

“I’m sorry?”

“We’re getting alcohol.”

I followed her all the way to just outside the kitchen entrance. She shoved me back against the wall and put her finger to her lips. “Why are we hiding?” I asked in a normal voice.

“SSSHHHHHH! Keep it down,” she whispered harshly at me.

“I think your shushing just caught the attention of the entire castle,” I whispered back.

“We’re hiding because the cook here isn’t too fond of people eating between meals or people stealing.”

“How did you find that out?”

“I got hungry the other night and decided to get a late night snack. I may or may not have knocked some pots over and she came in yelling at me. She has ears of a hawk to have been able to hear that from her bedroom.”

I facepalmed. “Just help me out here,” she said.

“I never said I wasn’t. You should lead the way. You know the layout.”

“Aye, aye Captain.”

We waited until the coast was clear before we entered the kitchen. There were two large pillars about fifteen feet apart in the center of the room. Counters with cabinets underneath encompassed them, some holding pots, pans, and other utensils while some were cleared for preparing food. Four stoves lined the back wall and shelves, counters, and cabinets filled the others. There were a few of the royal staff moving about, probably preparing snacks for the warriors that were training. A few were constantly entering and exiting a doorway to the left. I didn’t know where it led to. This would be more difficult than I thought.

We crouched next to a cabinet. “It’s more open than I thought,.” I whispered.

“We got this.” Raven made weird hand gestures, trying to direct me. She pointed at her eyes and then to a counter across the way. Then she held her arms in front of her, crossing them. She rotated her shoulders so the back of her hands hit together. Her arms then fell back down into their original position, her hands slapping her elbows. Then she extended her thumb and pinkie and shook her hand. She then gestured for me to go.

I had no idea what she meant for me to do so I didn’t move. She rolled her eyes and pushed me out into the open. I rushed back to our hiding spot, but she pushed me back out. 

“What are you–”

“Go to that freaking counter!”

I ran to the counter bent over and squatted behind it. Raven was peaking around the cabinet, trying to decide what to do. She scanned the room and her eyes widened. She wildly gestured at me. She really needs to work on her charades. Finally she did something I could understand. She made a person walking motion with her fingers and pointed behind me. Someone was coming. I quickly stuffed myself in the cabinet beneath the counter.

It was pitch black and I was sitting on something a little sharp. I heard footsteps approach me and then stop. Something was placed right above me. It sounded as if someone was cutting food on a cutting board. My ribs were starting to throb from being hunched over. Finally, the person walked away and I jumped out of the cabinet.

Raven wasn’t in our original spot. I looked around and spotted her flattened under a table. She rolled out and stood up. “Coast is clear.”

“What?” 

“They grabbed baskets of food and left. We probably won’t have much time. Hurry look for some booze.”

We frantically searched through all the cabinets and shelves. There wasn’t a single bottle of wine or anything. “Lexa has to drink right? Running a whole kingdom has to make her drink at some points.”

“Maybe it’s–” I heard voices approaching the kitchen. “Hide!” I whispered harshly. I dived rolled behind a counter and slid under the table Raven was previously under. Raven opened cabinet after cabinet and none had room for her to squeeze in. She searched frantically for a hiding spot. Just as the kitchen door opened, she threw herself on the bottom shelf of a cart that was covered by a long white cloth.

“Put those in the freezer, would you?” the cook said.

I watched on hopelessly as the woman grabbed the cart Raven was in and wheeled it down the hallway on the opposite side of the room. Great. Now I have to find alcohol and Raven. 

The staff thinned out some. The cook was over by the stove, her back facing me. Another person was standing at the counter I was hid under earlier. They were facing my direction, but if I were to make it to the center of the room, both pillars would block both of their views of me.

The servant by the counter bent down to retrieve something out of the cabinet below. I took this moment to scramble to the middle of the room. I couldn’t stay here for long. One of them was bound to move or another person would enter the kitchen.

I leaned back to get a look at the cook. Her back was still towards me. The other person was still cutting something up and facing me.

The kitchen door opened. The servant to my left looked back. I dive rolled into the hallway. I silently ran down it, looking for a door that a freezer would seem to be behind. The hallway turned to the right and only continued for a few feet. A big metal door was at the end. On the right there was shelves against the wall that held bottles. Not just any bottles, bottles of alcohol. Bingo. I grabbed a couple and went to the door. I opened it and a cold rush of air hit me.

Raven was tucked in the cart, her knees to her chest and bottles of alcohol clutched in her arms. “Oh thank god. Clarke! I thought I was going to turn into a human popsicle.”

I took a step in and crossed my arms over my chest. “How did you get alcohol if you were carted straight in here?”

“I sneakily grabbed some as I was pushed by.”

“You’re holding like five bottles.”

“I’m fast when I want to be. Now, let’s get out of here.”

“Ok.” I turned around and pressed down the handle of the door. It didn’t budge. I tried again and it didn’t move.

“Open the door, Clarke.”

“I can’t.”

She pushed me out of the way. “For someone who’s so smart you sure can have your dumb moments.” She pushed on the handle and walked into a closed door. “It won’t open. Clarke.”

“At least we have alcohol to keep us warm.”

“Clarke, we’re trapped in here.”

“You’re the one that insisted we get alcohol.”

Raven banged her fists against the door. “Help! Someone help! We’re trapped!” Raven tried all kinds of ways to open the door for several minutes. 

“Maybe I can plow it down.” She backed up and stared intensely at the door as if it were her worst enemy.

“I don’t think that will work on an industrial sized door.”

“Watch me.” She charged, more like limped. Her shoulder hit and bounced off it. She clutched her shoulder in pain. 

“You don’t need anymore injuries. You already have a leg that isn’t working right. You don’t need to ruin one of your arms too.”

“How can you be so calm?” she asked. “Don’t you understand that we are going to become human popsicles. We’re going to end up just like these slabs of meat.” She dragged her hands down her face. “Oh no. They’re probably going to eat us for dinner, thinking that we’re just another steak.” 

“They’re bound to come back in here by the next meal. Going by earlier, there was a lot of traffic through here. All we have to do is stay warm until then,” I said.

“You couldn’t have mentioned that before I dislocated my shoulder.”

“Your idea was much more entertaining. We’ve probably killed a good thirty minutes already.”

“I hate you,” she grumbled.

“No you don’t.”

“I hate that you’re right.”

We huddled close and Raven opened a bottle of whiskey, taking a big gulp. “That hits the spot.” She handed it to me and I took a less generous gulp.

About fifteen minutes passed by before the door opened. Raven leapt forward at the sound of the handle turning. She was on her hands and knees thanking our savior. I was behind her cringing, mostly about the person who discovered us.

It was Lexa. “I’ve gotten a lot of scared staff coming to me about a haunted freezer.” Raven’s head shot up and her jaw dropped. “Specifically a vegetarian servant who claims that the animals have come to take revenge on us for slaughtering them. Would you two happen to have information on that?”

I shook my head. “No idea.”

“Okay then. I’ll be on my way. Sorry to disturb you.” She started to closed the freezer door, but Raven lunged for the small opening left, yelling “Wait!”

Lexa opened the door again. “Yes?”

“We’ll tell you the truth on one condition,” Raven said.

Lexa was amused. She raised her eyebrow in curiosity. “What condition would that be?”

“You have to keep that head cook lady from yelling at us, specifically me.”

“Deal.”

***

“I would’ve given you something if you just asked,” Lexa said.

“That’s not as fun though,” Raven responded.

“You call freaking out in a freezer fun?” I asked.

“It’s all about the thrill of the adventure.”

“Right,” Lexa said. “Just don’t let me catch you at it again.”

Raven elbowed me. “You hear that, Clarke?” She whispered. “As long as we don’t get caught, we’re good.”

“I can hear you,” Lexa said. “Next time, I won’t let you keep any of the alcohol. Maybe I’ll even leave you in the freezer.”

“Yes, Heda.” Raven said absently. Her attention was mostly taken by something off in the distance. “If you don’t mind, since everyone else is snogging each other, I think I’d like to have my own fun.” She wandered off in a daze, following Anya around a corner.

Lexa watched Raven go and then looked at me, her eyes narrowed.

I looked to the floor. “I may have let some things slip.”

Lexa let out a sigh, acting like she disappointed, but I saw her trying to fight the smile that was creeping up. “Is this what my life will be like with you? I’m not sure I want that anymore,” she joked.

“You’re looking forward to it and you know it.”

She smiled lovingly at me. “Maybe I am.”

Today gave me a glimpse at what my life could look like, what all our lives could look like. I had a taste of a normal life. I had something entirely new to fight for, Lexa’s happiness, all our happiness, not just peace. It gave me hope that life was about more than just surviving. We could have a life after all of this.

“I’ll whip more respect into that friend of yours,” Lexa said, making a mental note of it.

“She could use it,” I agreed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice recovery chapter for ya


	23. Chapter 23

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long for this one. Life got hectic these past few weeks which really delayed me, but here we are now so enjoy:)

Things have been a little too quiet the past few days. I was enjoying the peace and quiet, except I wasn’t at the same time. Nothing ever stayed this way with the Mountain Men. Anxiety had its hold on me. It was becoming hard to enjoy this peaceful environment. I had this feeling of impending doom, waiting for the moment the Mountain Men decided to strike next.

As much as I loved spending endless hours joking with friends, relaxing with Lexa, and feeling like a normal person for once in my life, I couldn’t simply wait to be attacked. We had to make the first move this time. Our people weren’t fully healed yet. My ribs still hurt like hell and the wound on my side was just fully scabbing over. Raven couldn’t walk without a limp. The army as a whole had a big dent in it, but we had to be prepared. 

“Clarke!” My head snapped up. Lexa was looking at me with her brow furrowed in worry. Her book that she had her nose buried in for the past hour was set on the table in front of her. “I had been calling your name for the past minute. You seem to have something on your mind.”

I looked down at my drawing, realizing my hand had stopped moving. Her eyes searched my face, hoping I would let her into my head. I was trying to be more open with her, but it was hard getting used to it. I had spent practically my whole life locking everything inside, refusing anyone insight to my thoughts and troubles. “I don’t like waiting.”

My answer was vague, but Lexa seemed to understand. She gestured for me to sit next to her. I put down my drawing on the table and moved beside her. She rested her hand on my lap. “I don’t like it either, but our army isn’t ready to move. Too many are injured. I had the ones I can spare set up a perimeter around Polis Village and further out around the castle.”

“I know. I thought of the injured too, but I still feel like we have to do something. There has to be something we can do so we aren’t just sitting ducks.”

She sighed. “If we were to make the next move, that would mean knocking on Mount Weather’s front door with half an army. You may have been in there, Clarke, but I have a feeling they have a lot more tools and resources than they let on.”

I nodded in understanding. “You’re right. I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

She firmly grabbed my hand. “No. You were right in doing so. I asked you to be more open with me and that’s exactly what you’re doing.” Her thumbed rubbed the back of my hand. “I feel the same way, but we are trapped for the time being. I’ve explored all kinds of different options. I haven’t come up with any that we can risk. Sometimes it pays off to patiently wait for your opponent to make the first move. Like in a fight, you wait for them to strike first, examining their fighting style and waiting for them to make a mistake.”

“Almost every move has been initiated by them, Lexa.”

“And you’ve learned a lot from it. You didn’t have the resources and knowledge before to make the first move, but now you do so let’s use this chance wisely.” 

I stared blankly at the table in front of us. Lexa was right as always, but I still felt that we were missing a hidden opportunity. We just hadn’t thought of it yet. There had to be something we could do. Before I could rack my brain for the endless possibilities of action, Lexa brought me back with a kiss to my temple. “Don’t stress over this right now, Clarke. Enjoy this moment.” She kissed me on the lips this time. I melted into her and she smiled against my lips. If someone was to tell me a few months ago that I would be kissing the soon to be queen of Polis I would’ve scoffed in disbelief. I still might. It’s hard to believe this is actually real. 

She pulled back and I let my head fall onto her shoulder with a groan, disappointed at the loss of contact. She chuckled, her shoulder shaking with each laugh. Her hand rested on the back of my neck. I was ready to fall asleep because of the soothing strokes her thumb made up and down my neck.

I was confused for a moment when it felt like the world was shifting and suddenly falling. Lexa had moved forward, reaching for something on the table. She now held my drawing. 

Insecurity suddenly filled me. I looked to the ground. “It’s not finished,” I mumbled. There was still some shading that had to be done, but it was complete enough to get the idea. It was a picture of Lexa sitting on the couch, reading her book as light leaked through the windows behind her. Streaks of light surrounded Lexa, making her look heavenly. It was a moment that I wanted capture forever. She looked at peace, like a normal person with no heavy burdens or responsibilities.

Her mouth was slightly open and her eyes glowed in wonder. “Clarke, this is amazing.” She went to say something else, but stopped. “I don’t even have words…”

There was a knock at the door. Our heads snapped in the direction of the door. “Enter!” Lexa called.

It was Titus and Indra. Both looked angry. “Heda.” Titus greeted.

“Speak, Titus.”

“The people are upset. They’ve come the castle gates demanding entry, while others are protesting in the village. We are on the verge of a revolt.”

Lexa’s brow furrowed in confusion. Her shoulders were tense and her eyes flicked between Indra and Titus. “What is the cause of this?” Her voice was calm and collected.

“They have found out that you are working with Wanheda,” Indra said. She looked directly at me to gauge my reaction. Almost everyone in the castle knew I was Wanheda now. It wasn’t exactly subtle bringing me in on the verge of death decked out in Wanheda’s gear.

“And how could they have come to gain that knowledge?” Lexa asked.

“No one is sure, Heda. Could’ve been simply one person catching sight of you riding an unconscious Wanheda to the castle,” Indra said. It seemed almost as if Lexa’s tenseness reflected in Indra.

I instantly knew the answer to Lexa’s question. They were running out of options, becoming desperate and repeating past moves. We killed a lot of their army and still stood even with the odds given to us. “The Mountain Men.”

Everyone looked at me. Titus seemed to be boiling over with anger. He pointed at me. “You,” he said. He began to approach me, but Lexa stepped between us. 

“Titus, this is not her doing,” Lexa said.

“It may as well have been. She puts everyone within a ten mile radius of her in danger. She’s known for murder, for bringing death and you are giving her a home and your protection. The people feel that you are putting them all in danger and I can’t help but agree.”

“Titus, you are very close to crossing a line.”

“Heda, I have worked with your father for most of his life. I have never failed him. You have to trust me and my advice. I am telling you that we would be better off without her. The last time we lost that many warriors was when all the clans were in war with each other.” Lexa’s chin dipped ever so slightly, revealing how angry she was truly becoming. “Now we have the citizens on our front door furious that you are working with her, providing shelter for her. Imagine what will happen when they realize how close you really are with her.” She wasn’t even trying to hide her emotions at this point. “All she has brought is death, as predicted by her name. You should have seen this coming.”

“Enough!” Her booming voice sent a shock of fear through me that I had never experienced before in Lexa’s presence. Indra stood straighter and Titus immediately slammed his mouth shut. 

Lexa advanced toward Titus. “My father has barely been gone for three weeks and you act as if you should be the one to take his place.” She spoke low and too calmly. Her suppressed anger gave her voice the lightest shake. “I am soon to be the queen and you need to remember your place.”

Lexa was always known for making everyone feel like her equal. She didn’t want people to feel inferior to her. She wanted her people to be comfortable with her and wanted to be a charismatic and peaceful leader. The fact that she pulled out her rank meant that she was furious at Titus.

“You are right, Heda. I did not mean to come off as such, but you can’t tell me that being romantically involved with Wanheda wasn’t a mistake.” He talked as if I wasn’t standing a few feet away from him.

“I said enough! You can’t possibly think that I didn’t go over all the consequences that would come with our relationship! No matter who I am with, not everyone will be pleased. I’m smarter than you think, Titus. I’m not the naive little girl anymore that you watched grow up. I knew it would eventually become known that Wanheda is working with me and I knew some would not be pleased with it.” She briefly looked to me, gauging my reaction to all of this. I stayed stoic.

“I can manage a few angry people if it means Clarke is by my side when the Mountain falls. She is the key to our victory. You don’t give her enough credit, Titus. She is so much more than a vigilante.” She turned to me. “When the Mountain Men are defeated, everyone will know the true Wanheda and welcome her.”

“Heda, please–”

“Leave.” The argument was over and Titus knew there was no point in trying anymore. Before he turned to leave, he gave me one last glare.

Tense silence filled the room as Indra and I watched Lexa walk to the windows. She stared down toward the castle walls.

“What would you like to do, Heda?” Indra asked.

She continued to stare off into the distance. “Tell the guards to announce that I will be traveling to Polis Village to address everything. If the crowd doesn’t disperse or calm down, have them clear way for my convoy.”

“Yes, Heda.” Indra bowed her head in respect and quickly left.

Without turning around, Lexa spoke. “I’m sorry, Clarke.” Her voice sounded so delicate. I had the urge to wrap my arms around her, but I wasn’t sure what was running through her mind.

“You have nothing to apologize for.” I slowly approached her. She turned her head ever so slightly in my direction.

“He shouldn’t have said any of those things.”

I stood next to her, also looking out the windows. “But he did, and it’s not your fault. Thank you for defending me though.”

“I always will.” I looked at her, but she wouldn’t return my stare. “When my mother died, it broke my father. He wouldn’t ever admit it or show it, but I could see through him. It hurt him deeply.” She looked to the floor. “I often passed this study and overheard my father and Titus fighting. One argument was much larger than others. It was hard to ignore with how loud they were shouting. Something that always stuck with me from that fight was Titus saying that love is weakness. I was hurting at the time too so I started to believe it. I never wanted to believe it, but the idea appealed to me as I grieved and it carried on with me for the next years to come. Of course, I was expected to court other royals and higher socially ranked individuals, which I did, but none ever lasted. I still carried the philosophy with me today, until…” 

She finally looked at me. “When I met you, I finally understood how wrong I was.” She finally turned towards me. “You showed me how powerful we could be if we worked together and supported each other. Bringing you into my life was the best choice I’ve made. Titus doesn’t understand that, but we’ll prove him wrong.”

“I understand what you’re saying and wholeheartedly agree with you. I never thought I could touch someone in that way. I’m glad I could change your mind about love being weakness, but Titus does have a point. I believe that without each other, we could never defeat the Mountain. He’s wrong about that, but he is right about me being Wanheda. Where I go, death follows.”

“You can’t escape death in a war and war is all that you’ve known. I’ll prove you wrong when this is all over.”

“Seems like I have to wait for all this to be over for a lot of things.”

“Again, war does that.”

I looked out to the castle walls where there was an angry crowd of people somewhere on the other side waiting to probably tear me limb from limb and maybe Lexa too. Lexa grabbed my hand making me look at her. She wore a small smile. “A time of peace here will change the way you think about life.”

“I think you already have.” She gave me a quick kiss on the lips and started her way to the door. “Come on. I believe we have an appointment with a bunch of angry people who aren’t happy with my life decisions.”

 

***

 

There was a spot already set up for Lexa to speak. Guards formed a large circular perimeter just as they normally did whenever a royal was expected to make a speech in Polis Village. I decided to stay hidden in the crowd as Lexa was escorted by her guards to the center of the mass of people. I pushed my way to the front.

People yelled harsh words and false accusations at Lexa, but she held her head high. She didn’t waste any time or words to appeal to the crowd. She immediately dove into the truth and everyone silenced to hear her.

“You have all heard the rumor that I am working with Wanheda. That is true.” The crowd started protesting and Lexa simply held up her hand up, causing everyone to fall quiet. “I understand that all of you have heard horrid stories regarding Wanheda and believe that they are a criminal, a murderer. That is not the case.” Lexa explained how I saved her life on multiple occasions, how she knows and understands me more than anyone does. She revealed a new side of me that no one was aware of. Lexa spoke the truth, but there was still a problem. The people only had her word to backup these stories and facts. 

Some seemed to be considering that Wanheda may not be bad, while the majority was completely skeptical. “I know most of you will have your doubts and strong opinions, but remember this, I have never led you wrong. I formed this coalition. I created peace and harmony. I have brought you all a life absent of war and now it has come knocking on our door once again. I brought us out of the last one. Please allow me to do the same for this one.”

I could see the gears turning in others’ heads. They were probably torn between demanding I be brought to justice for my doings and trusting in Lexa. Lexa’s people have faith in her, that much is clear. Her family has an incredible reputation among everyone. I know that there will be people who will follow her no matter their hatred for me. I also know that there will be some who will rebel.

Some of the crowd began yelling again and Lexa tried to calm them down. Lexa’s protective bubble was becoming unstable. People began pushing forward and the guards pushed back. Someone shoved me hard in the back of my shoulder as they ran to the front, causing me to stumble forward. I was being swallowed in the crowd. I lost sight of Lexa. It was useless to push my way back toward the front. Everyone was packed tightly together and the guards were losing control. I turned around and out of the crowd. It was like I was swimming against the current in a river. I shoved past people until I stumbled out into the open where I was pushed by another person who wanted to join in on the rush.

I was incredibly thankful that they had pushed me. If they hadn’t sent me flying onto my back, I would’ve never seen a hooded Emerson perched on a nearby building, aiming his arrow at the center of the crowd. He was going to assassinate Lexa.

My suspicions were just confirmed. It wasn’t a random coincidence that everyone learned mine and Lexa’s alliance. The Mountain Men had leaked that information somehow. They didn’t have their red drug to break us apart. They used something much harder to cure than a drug. They wanted to weaken us on the inside again and found a more permanent way of doing that. They created doubt in the coalition’s leadership.

I shot to my feet and sprinted toward the building. I had to trust that Lexa’s guards would protect her from being trampled, and I had to make sure she wouldn’t end up with an arrow in her chest. 

I climbed the side of the building with ease. As I popped over the roof, Emerson was pulling his arrow back as far as it would go, his hand trembling slightly with the tension on his bow. I wouldn’t have time to reach him. I pulled a dagger from my waist. I threw it at him as I ran. It buried itself in his hand that was holding the bow just as he let go of the arrow. The arrow shot to the ground as the dagger threw off his aim. 

Barely a second later, my body was ramming into his. We fell inches from the edge of the roof. For a moment, I stared over his shoulder down to the ground forty feet below. I rolled off of him as he tried to stab me with my own dagger. He was down a hand. I had the advantage.

He rushed to his feet and we now squared each other off. “You don’t know when to give up, do you, Clarke?”

“I like to think of it as resiliency.”

“It’s a shame you didn’t stay a reaper. You were good at it.” He lunged forward. I kicked the dagger out of his hand. It clatter on the roof and slid off the edge. It could be heard hitting the ground seconds later. 

I had more daggers on me and he knew this. He only had a bow,, arrows, and one hand which wasn’t much help and yet, he acted as if we were still evenly matched. 

“You should’ve let me end her while I had the chance. She won’t survive this war anyway. All you’ve done is delayed her death and forced it to be much more painful.”

He pulled something out of his pocket. I couldn’t catch a glimpse of it. The instant high pitched ringing reverberated through my head. I dropped to my knees clutching my ears. His boot connected with my chest, throwing me backwards.

“Since drugging your people wasn’t enough to keep you apart, we decided on a different approach that seems to be much more effective. I hoped that Lexa would show her face here, but this is so much better. Having both your heads will end this once and for all.”

He ripped a dagger from me that was held on my leg. I fought through the piercing pain. My vision was doubled. I desperately held out my arm to block him while simultaneously pulling out another hidden dagger. We hit each other at the same time, my dagger in his lower thigh and his in my shoulder. He fell back clutching his leg, forgetting the frequency device. I pulled out the dagger from my arm with a grunt of pain. I held onto it as I stood up and walked toward Emerson. His eyes widened when he saw me. He hurriedly pulled out the dagger from his leg with a yell and began running in the opposite direction. Adrenaline had to have been coursing through his body. He barely had a limp.

I looked back for a second hoping to catch a glimpse of Lexa. She was being pushed into her carriage by a guard. She must’ve felt my eyes on her because she looked up at me not a second later. Her eyes held some confusion. She followed Emerson’s figure darting across the rooftop and her eyes widened. She looked back at me, telling me not to go after him.

I had Emerson in my grasp. I couldn’t let him get away without trying. I could take down one power on the Mountain Men’s side right now. I broke our stare down and ran after him. We leapt from roof to roof. On one landing, Emerson’s leg gave out, giving me a few seconds to catch up. As I soared over one gap, I saw familiar brown braided hair flying in the wind. Lexa was crossing perpendicularly under me on horseback.

Emerson’s limp was becoming more noticeable. He was slowing down. I pushed my legs as hard as they could go. I reached my hand out. My fingertips just grazed him. I jumped forward, crashing into him. We flew over the edge of the roof and fell onto a shorter building. We crashed through the roof and into the middle of a store. 

Familiar scents filled my nose. I opened my eyes to shelves of candles. Not again. I need to reimburse the owner of this candle shop. 

Emerson was already within arms reach of the exit when I remembered he fell with me. I went to follow him, but when I went outside there was no sight of him. It was just the usual crowded streets of Polis. I pushed through people and got a few protests and rude remarks thrown at me. He was nowhere.

“Clarke!” Lexa cleared a path with her horse and held out her arm as she came toward me. I grabbed her arm and she smoothly pulled me up behind her. 

“Seems like you’ve done that a lot,” I said.

“I can’t afford to stop. We have to get back to the castle. What happened to Emerson?”

“I don’t know. I lost him.” Disappointment filled me. I let out a sigh and buried my face in back of Lexa’s shoulder. She sensed my defeat probably from how tight I was clutching the front of her jacket.

“It’s okay, Clarke. He will see his end soon. Maybe his escape will open up another opportunity that otherwise wouldn’t have been there.”

“I hope you’re right.” Everything ached from the fall. My ribs were throbbing and now I had a new wound on my arm.

We didn’t speak anymore until we were within the castle walls. I was seconds away from falling asleep. My head shot up when I felt Lexa’s shoulder slip from underneath me.

She laughed. “Sorry.” All laughter stopped when she took in my arm. I slid off her horse as she reached for my arm. “You’re hurt,” concern was evident in her voice.

“You should’ve seen the other guy.”

“Clarke.” She inspected my arm closely. Her hands then shot to my torso. “I bet your ribs are killing you too.” How was it possible for someone to know me so well in such short time? Lexa understood me so well and could pick up on such small signs and details to give her insight into my mind and feelings.

“Let’s get you patched up.”

“Could you do me a favor first?”

“Of course. What is it?” She was eager to help me in any way she could.

“Could you help me make it up to that candle guy?”

Realization spread over her face. “That was you the first time too!. I should’ve known. What could’ve possibly crashed through the ceiling other than Wanheda? And not just once, but twice.” 

“I feel bad. Maybe he should move his shop a couple meters to the left or something.”

“That’s my favorite place in Polis too. Now it’s going to be closed for the next couple weeks again.”

“Sorry,” I replied, sheepishly.

 

***

 

I filled Lexa in on the details as my arm was cleaned and stitched. She didn’t seem too stuck on it. She simply replied, “What’s done is done. We can’t dwell on the past and what ifs. We have to worry about reacting in the correct way now.” I had no energy to further express my frustrations so the conversation ended there. I’m glad it did too because I probably would’ve just gotten myself worked up for no reason and Lexa would’ve made me realize how irrational I was being.

Lexa insisted that I stayed in her sight so I found myself very bored in her study as she worked at her desk. I was sprawled on the couch skillfully spinning a dagger around and through my fingers. Every few seconds I would let out a loud and over exaggerated sigh.

I eventually got what I wanted, Lexa’s attention. “Clarke, what are you doing?”

“Vocally expressing my boredom,” I said matter-of-factly.

“Well, could you please stop?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m still bored and long for attention.”

“You’re annoying when you get in your weird moods.” She wanted to seem frustrated, but I could hear her affection dripping from every word.

“Just lay with me and then I’ll stop.”

“I have work, Clarke.”

“Which you’ve been working on for the past two hours and can continue to work on tomorrow.”

Lexa didn’t reply. I assumed she continued to work so I continued to sigh obnoxiously. Suddenly Lexa’s head popped into view, looking down at me with her arms crossed. “You are annoying sometimes.”

“So I’ve been told.” I grabbed one of her arms and pulled her towards me. She rolled her eyes and fought a smile, acting as if she didn’t want to lay with me. She laid so that she was facing me. I wrapped my arm around her back and she curled her arms against my chest. Her brows were furrowed.

“What are you thinking?” I asked.

“Going through a mental checklist. I increased security around the castle and increased my guards. I posted guards around Polis Village, including undercover ones. I-”

I interrupted her with a kiss. “I’m sure everything on your checklist is complete except for the relaxing part.” I smoothed out the wrinkled between her brows with my thumb. “How convenient? You happen to be laying in my arms. No better place to relax.” She rolled her eyes again.

She let out a long sigh and relaxed into me. “Your tired moods are very weird indeed.”

“I won’t deny that.” I closed my eyes to enjoy the rare moment of peace and quiet. I opened my eyes not even thirty seconds later to see Lexa frowning, deep in thought. 

“I can hear your thinking from here.”

“Sorry. I was just thinking of earlier with Titus.”

“No wonder you have trouble sleeping. You think too much.”

“But he really overstepped a line and I feel that I need to take further action to truly teach him a lesson.”

“How about this, can you deliver him a message for me?”

Lexa lifted one of her eyebrows in curiosity. “What message would that be?”

“Tell him his head looks like a tattooed thumb.”

“What?” she chortled.

“Well, he said mean things about me. I need to get my say in somehow.”

She laughed. 

“Oooooh, you should have Indra do it. I would love to hear those words coming out of her. Her face would probably be really serious too.”

Lexa laughed harder. “I’ll think about it.”

“Good.”

I buried my nose in her hair, drifting closer and closer to sleep. 

“Thank you, Clarke.”

I wasn’t sure what she was thanking me for, but I was too close to sleep to find out. I fell asleep and almost instantly found myself in a dream. It consisted of a bunch of memories jumbled together. It was almost as if my life was flashing before my eyes. Every encounter I had with the Mountain Men was freshened. 

I heard the screams of my people as they were struck down by reapers. I heard the begging words of Monroe as she laid on death’s doorstep. Emerson’s cruel laugh and Dante’s words repeated continually. 

I was running through my flame encompassed home moments after my mother was murdered and my father taken. I was falling further and further away from a cliff’s edge. Everything went black when my body impacted the water. My eyes opened to a younger Bellamy peering down at me with a worried wrinkle between his brows. Then we were running through the woods with reapers right behind us. We were wrapped in each other’s arms shivering in a cave, moments away from starving to death as we listened to reapers speak and grunt off in the distance. Then we were in Arkadia fighting against a reaper raid. Each battle invaded my mind as well as each person that was lost. Now I was saving Lexa and an arrow hit me. Then I was reviving Lincoln and almost instantly we were wandering through reaper caves. The horrors of Mount Weather made me feel sick. People were strung up being drained of their blood. My father was a skeleton of a man and a prisoner of Dante and Cage. Then my body was burning with the intensity only associated with the red drug. I was strapped to a cold metal table being forced to listen to Emerson’s taunts. 

The burning continued, but the scenery changed. I was now in the middle of a circle of reapers with Emerson smiling cynically in front of me. Time fast forwarded and I was now trying to kill Lexa. All energy left me as I crumpled to the ground and reapers collapsed on top of us. Explosions went off around Lexa and I. Everything turned white and my ears began to ring. They kept ringing as a scene unfolded in front of me. This wasn’t a memory. This was my worst fear manifesting. A bloodied and tired Lexa was being held up by her throat. She was inches from death. Her body was limp. The only thing indicating that she was alive were her piercing green eyes holding so much hatred and intensity toward Emerson who held her. Cage and Dante were just behind him, not hiding their satisfaction at the sight before them. 

I was crippled on the ground with the ringing blaring in my head. I could barely move. I couldn’t do anything. I watched on helplessly as Emerson simply squeezed his fist causing a loud snap to pierce through the ringing in my ears. Lexa’s eyes stared off in the distance unfocused and her mouth hung open. Emerson let go and Lexa’s body crumpled beneath him.

I woke up gasping for breath and drenched in sweat. Hands were frantically but gently gripping my arms and back. I took deep breaths and looked at my surroundings. I was in Lexa’s study. I became more aware of the pressure on my back and arm. Lexa was still next to me. I woke her up. 

I took a few more seconds to fully clear my mind and then fell onto my back with a huff. I wiped the sweat on my forehead and took more calming breaths. Lexa was still sat upright watching me.

“I’m sorry,” I said.

“There’s nothing to be sorry for. Are you okay?”

“I will be.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

Lexa laid back down next to me and threw her arm over my stomach, tracing circles on my side with her thumb.

Lexa’s death has haunted me many times in my dreams, but this one was different. There was more history behind it. She looked as if she had been through a war, perhaps the final battle against Mount Weather. I had a feeling that this dream was the moment that we lost to them. Maybe it was warning or a prophecy, some kind of insight to the future that I could now prevent.

I could tell that Lexa was trying her hardest to comfort me without knowing truly what was bothering me. Her eyes were wide open and awake. She held onto me slightly tighter than usual. She had her usual wrinkle between her brow that she would get when she was worried. I felt that she deserved more than I was offering. She wanted me to open up to her and I was denying that right now.

“It was about the Mountain Men,” I said.

Her thumb ceased moving for a beat. “Were they memories?”

“Most of them.”

“And the ones that weren’t?”

“Much worse.” 

I turned on my side so I was facing her and buried my face where her chest and neck met. She wrapped her arms around me and held tighter.

“I’ve had dreams like it before, the same plot anyway.” I took another deep breath. Lexa waited patiently for me to continue. “It’s always about you.”

“What about me?”

“I’m at the mercy of the Mountain Men, unable to move or do anything.” My heart rate picked up at the thought. “Every time I’m forced to watch them kill you and I can’t do anything. I’m powerless to stop them.”

Lexa must’ve felt the stress and anxiety fill me because she was calmingly shushing me and rubbing her hand up and down my back.

“Remember, you and I working together will be their downfall. You’re not going to lose me. I’m right here, Clarke, and there’s no changing that.”

Lexa’s words provided me some comfort. She continued to speak calming reassuring words until I appeared to be asleep. Then she followed in suit. 

I slowed my breathing to make her think I was asleep. I didn’t want Lexa to stay up because of me. She needed the rest. I wasn’t going to sleep anymore tonight anyway. That was close to impossible, especially with the plan forming in my head.

The Mountain Men had tortured us long enough. They were constantly one step ahead. It was our turn now. This wasn’t a simple game of chess or a single fight. This was a war that we were getting desperate to win. The Mountain Men had fed off of our sanity, constantly hitting us from the inside. It was time we did the same and had Hercules take down the lion.   
  



	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I would start expecting an update from me about once a month from now on. We're starting to get closer to the climax. I don't know how many chapters are left. Anywhere between five to ten depending on the ideas that pop into my head.

"Ooof!” 

Leaves and plants rustled behind me along with the sound of multiple sticks breaking. Octavia was face first in the forest ground.

“Jeez, Octavia. How hard did you hit your head last fight? I think it messed up your coordination.”

“My concussion is mostly healed,” she replied in a harsh whisper. “Just help me out. It’s practically pitch black out here and this plant is like an octopus.”

“Key word, mostly,” I said mainly to myself. I crouched down by Octavia to untangle her foot. More rustling came from behind us. Lincoln emerged from a thick collection of weeds and plants.

“For the record,” he said. “I said this was a bad idea.”

“It’ll work. It has to. This is our best chance,” I said.

Octavia hissed in pain. “Damn thorns.” She sucked the puncture mark on her finger. 

“How did you manage to get this tangled?” Lincoln asked.

“It’s an art only Octavia can perfect and sometimes Raven,” I replied.

“Well, we need to keep moving,” Lincoln said. “There could be reapers lurking nearby.”

I continued to cut away the prickery plants until Octavia was finally free. “Think you can walk or does Lincoln have to give you a piggyback?” I asked with an amused smile.

“I got it.” Octavia walked grumpily ahead.

Navigating the woods at night was much more tricky. Luckily, I have trekked through these woods so many times over the years that I could probably navigate it blindfolded. The one problem that’s more difficult to overcome is the reduced visibility which made us much more vulnerable.

We stopped twenty meters from a cave entrance and hid behind cover. 

“I’m having some strong deja vu,” I said, putting on white war paint. I made some last minute adjustments to my torn ratty clothing to match more closely to the appearance of a reaper. I had dyed my hair red with berries to help hide my identity. The final piece to pull it all together was a metal mask that had small bones fused into it. I wasn’t sure if the bones belonged to an animal or human, and I didn’t want to know.

It was a safer bet for me to pose as a reaper this time around because the drug was much fresher and much more abundant in me than Lincoln. I would more likely be able to get by reapers undetected.

“Remember, Clarke, when you turn her in, you’re going to have two options,” Lincoln said. “You’ll have to either fight through the red drug or run. Neither are good.”

The thought of the possibility of the red drug entering my system again made me sick to my stomach. I had fought off a much larger dose than one syringe, but I wasn’t sure that I trusted myself to be able to handle it again. There was so much that could go wrong. I could become a reaper again. My body could give up on me with how much stress that drug has put on me in the past. I might not be able to handle it anymore. My other option was to run. That would be a near impossible escape if reapers or the Mountain Men pursued me. The narrow walls of the cave would make it easy for me to get trapped and overwhelmed. There was also the possibility of accidentally taking the wrong turn under all the adrenaline and pressure.

“Octavia,” I said. “You know what to do.”

“Prepare us an army,” she said, smirking.

“Be careful,” Lincoln said with concern in his eyes.

“I will,” she said, leaning toward him. They kissed goodbye and then I tied Octavia’s hands together, trailing a couple feet of rope to create a leash.

“I’ll be waiting out here for your return, Clarke,” Lincoln said.

I nodded goodbye at him and led Octavia to the cave’s entrance.

“Ready?” I asked.

“It’s about time I paid a visit to my big brother.”

We began our journey. I ran my hand along the cave wall to determine where I was going. Things were quiet for the first mile. The only sound present was the occasional drip of water and the shuffling of our feet.

We eventually came up to the spacious cave clearing where I had first learned that reapers were cannibals. There wasn’t as much noise as last time. I motioned for Octavia to stop. I peered around the cave wall. There were reapers sprawled all over the ground sleeping. Most were huddled close to the fire. One was sat up against the cave wall to the left passed out with his mouth wide open. Another was in a metal cart that usually held the corpses of harvested people.

Dawn was approaching. The first harvest pick up of the day would be happening soon. There has to be some awake further into the cave.

Just then, there was footsteps echoing through the area. Shadows from a merging cave on the left stretched across the ground and the sleeping reapers. Two figures came out. One was a reaper and another was a tied up shirtless man with a bag over his head. Perfect timing. They continued down the cave toward Mount Weather’s entrance.

I turned to Octavia and pulled out a similar looking bag.

“Good luck,” I whispered and then put the bag over her head.

I tugged on the rope to let Octavia know it was time to move. Right when I made my first step around the corner into the open I noticed legs crossed beneath me. I was about to step on a sleeping reaper’s legs who had passed out clutching a human leg, the big toe partially in his mouth. I held in a gag and danced over him. Then I remembered Octavia was right behind me and couldn’t see. I quickly yanked the rope to the side, jerking Octavia out of his path. Thank god I had good reflexes.

“Ow,” she whispered harshly.

“Sorry.”

I maneuvered us through the rest without anymore surprise reapers. As we continued, like last time, reapers began converging. I found myself stuck in a line of reapers who were bringing their victims to their death all for the reward of pleasure.

We waited outside the thick metal door. Minutes that seemed like hours passed by when the door finally opened. The reapers forced their prisoners to their knees. I followed, putting my foot into the back of Octavia’s knee. She went down as roughly as the others. I felt bad, but I had to make this look convincing.

The same woman with dark hair and a white jacket came out, followed by two other people who wore bulky suits and masks. She went down the row, deciding each person’s fate.

“Quarantine.”

“Quarantine.”

“Quarantine.”

“Cerberus Project.”

“Quarantine.”

She pulled the bag off of Octavia. In order for this plan to work, Octavia had to be sent to quarantine. Lincoln had told us prior that they made reapers out of the most fierce looking people brought in. They thought they were the most promising in becoming ruthless and strong monsters. Octavia made sure to have a scared look on her face, making her seem like a weak girl.

“Quarantine.”

Relief flooded me. The woman sent the last two people to the Cerberus Project, which I assumed meant turning them into reapers. They must’ve increased their reaper recruitment because those two guys looked close to tears, but they also looked physically strong. It made sense that they would expand their reaper choices after losing so many. 

They rounded everyone up and marched them in a single file line into the mountain. Octavia threw one last glance over her shoulder at me. I held her eyes until she disappeared beyond the metal door. 

Now it was our turn to kneel. My stomach turned and my body tingled in the most unpleasant way at the sight of the drug. I could practically feel everything burning already. They went down the line, injecting each reaper. One by one they fell to the ground in a ball, curling up in pleasure. Smiles filled with absolute euphoria and relief spread across their faces as pleasurable moans leaked through their teeth.

I was next. I didn’t eagerly expose my neck like the rest. The person in the bulky suit held the drug expectantly waiting for me to tilt my head. When I didn’t, he let out a loud sigh. “Hey, I think this one needs more training and injections. They aren’t eager enough.” he said to his partner. “We should bring ‘em to Cage.”

I couldn’t let them do that. I hesitantly tilted my head. I barely moved, but it was enough of an invitation for the man to make a move with the syringe.

I froze. I didn’t know what to do. I’d rather be dead than have that drug back in me, but here I was seconds away from being stuck with a needle. I watched as a bubble settled to the top of the angry red substance. I swear it settled in the perfect spot to form an evil looking face made out of a few more bubbles and the hash marks on the side of the syringe. It looked as if it was Satan himself, laughing at my impending fate.

I couldn’t do it. I had to run. I bolted past the two reapers still waiting for their reward. The Mountain Men began yelling.

“We have a runaway reaper!”

“Get them! We can’t afford to lose another!”

The high pitch frequency went off, but I was too far away and too stubborn to let it stop me. It still had an affect on me though. My eardrums felt as if they were turning inside out, but It wasn’t anything I couldn’t fight through.

I heard the footsteps behind me multiplying. It pushed me to run harder. I was chasing the echoes of their shouts through the caves, as my legs pumped faster and faster. My lungs were beginning to burn by the time I reached the clearing where reapers were previously sleeping. 

This time there were no sleeping reapers. Many were frozen in place watching me burst through the cave, panting with frantic eyes darting around the room. A large group was returning from a morning hunt in the cave that I needed to travel through. Their broad shoulders took up the width of the cave along with the large panther thrown over two of them. Others trailed behind them with more kills.

I looked back over my shoulder to see the Mountain Men’s shadows growing across the wall as our distance closed. I took a different cave. Panic filled me as the realization of my decision kicked in. I had no idea where I was going. This could lead me to a dead end or right back into the mountain. 

Suddenly the Mountain Men’s shouts seemed to be coming from in front of me too. I think I may have messed up more than I thought by taking that turn. My mistake slapped me in the face when I saw more Mountain Men a few meters ahead, cutting me off. Luckily, there were only two.

I sped up. When I got close to the first guy, I jumped up as high as I could and kicked off the wall, flying over him. The next guy attacked high to cut off my landing, but he was too slow. I dropped to the ground and slid through his legs. I popped up and continued running, their footsteps now joining the original pursuers. 

I could see light ahead. I pushed forward, the light becoming brighter and brighter. Out of nowhere a body collided into the side of mine. I rolled to the side to recover, but the Mountain Man grabbed my ankle, yanking me back. I flipped onto my back. There was a door in the cave wall that was left wide open leading straight into Mount Weather. I kicked the Mountain Man in the head causing him to let go.

I had been wrapping around Mount Weather this whole time. Who knows where this exit will lead me. 

The two Mountain Men who had tried cutting me off were only a few feet away. I got up quickly and rounded the bend in the cave. There was the exit. I ran to it only to skid to a stop just at its edge. 

Blood was roaring in my ears and my heart was beating out of my chest. I threw my arms to the side trying to catch my balance as my toes hung off the cliff’s edge. Roaring waters rushed below at the bottom of the waterfall that flowed just below my feet.

The Mountain Men came to a stop behind me panting equally as hard as I was. I kept my back to them as they spoke.

“It’s over. Come with us. Cage will have you feeling great in no time.”

I peaked over my shoulder. They stood like a wall, blocking any path around them. I looked back to the roaring water far below me. The high pitched noise went off again, its proximity making it stronger. I fell to my knee, the noise piercing my mind once again. I heard them advancing behind me. I couldn’t become a reaper, not again. 

I rushed to my feet and leapt forward just as one of their hands grazed the collar of my shirt. I felt a tickle in my stomach and the wind brushing past my face and intertwining with my hair. I was so close to the waterfall that if I reached my hand out, I could touch it.

I looked down to my landing spot. There was going to be no Bellamy waiting at the bottom to save me this time. 

It was a mess of mist, foam, and rough churning water. There was a rainbow that stretched across it all. For some reason that made me laugh as I passed through it. It was a perfect representation of life, of my life. The innocence only a child has being broken through as they realize what life really consists of and how the world is always against them. Life throws so many horrible things at anyone it possibly can, producing more bad than good. But then there are amazing moments that everyone lives for, making it so people only live for those short lived periods. It makes life worth it in some unfair sense. That complexity is the beauty of life as a whole. 

My whole life has been filled with constant fighting. I lost everything and had to start over from scratch. I had to find a whole new family and purpose in life. My life has been filled with more loss than gains, more trauma than happiness, and yet, I’d still fight to my dying breath to survive in such a cruel world. Why? My goal of wanting to give my friends, my new found family, a second chance at life is what always kept me going, but I failed them time after time. It was beginning to not be enough. I’ve lost hope for the longest time that we would ever achieve the life we desired. So why did I still fight so hard?

My body hit the water. Air was shoved out of my lungs and the water spun me around wildly, throwing me deeper and deeper into the river. I kicked and punched the water, desperately trying to surface my head. I was in serious need of oxygen. Black dots danced in my vision as I frantically looked to the surface. I could see fragmented pieces of the rainbow above the surface.

I closed my eyes as I kicked up debris from the river floor. When I looked back to the surface, instead of seeing a rainbow, I saw Lexa’s face in fragmented pieces. The longer I stared, the closer the pieces got until they connected, making a watery image. 

That was why. That was why I continued to fight to survive. Lexa came crashing into my life, swords flying in such a majestic manner never seen before by any warrior. Along with her, she carried hope back into my life. I’ve never had someone put so much trust in me especially after I broke that trust on multiple occasions. It was so unfair, all the unnecessary troubles that I put Lexa through and she gave me unconditional trust and support. I couldn’t throw everything she has done for me away. It would be incredibly unfair to die and leave Lexa with more loss and let her deal with the Mountain Men on her own. I can already predict her scolding me whether I live or die. 

She’s my rainbow in life and maybe I’m hers. I can’t take that away from her. Determination set in. I kicked as hard as I could on the rocky bottom. I shot upward, kicking my legs and pumping my arms. I fought out of the pull of the waterfall. Every muscle was burning and screaming in protest. I was pulled back under. I fought harder and harder, giving all that I had left. My head broke the surface again. I kept going and going and going until I broke free.

Now I fought the strong current going in the opposite direction of the waterfall. I had to get to the shore. I paddled to the side, avoiding large rocks as best as I could. I wasn’t so fortunate. My shoulder smacked hard into the side of a rock, twisting me around. A branch was just passing over me and I reached out in desperation, barely be able to grab it. I fought to hold on as the river pulled my body away. I used both arms to shuffle to the shore. My right hand slipped on the water soaked bark. I clinged on by five of my fingers, four fingers, three fingers. I threw my body forward, trying to give my right hand the chance to latch back on. I was hanging on by my fingertips. I was able to grab the branch again with my right, allowing me to readjust my grip for both hands. I continued to move to shore.

Finally, my feet touched the bottom. I tiredly dragged my legs through the water until I was completely out. I collapsed to the ground chuckling to myself.

“I’m going to take the best nap of my life when I get back to the castle.”

***

“Griffin! You’re back!” Raven rushed forward, smashing into my body to give me a fierce hug.

“Raven,” I wheezed out. “I just fell off a cliff and am still recovering from broken ribs. This does not feel too great.”

She quickly released me. “Sorry. Sorry.” Air rushed back into lungs and my ribs ached from the overuse.

“Well, how did it go? Did Octavia make it okay? Did Lincoln make it back?”

“Octavia made it inside. Lincoln was with me and made it back just fine.”

Raven sighed with relief. “That’s good, but that doesn’t explain you falling off a cliff.”

“I ran into some complications with the Mountain Men. I may have taken a wrong turn in the caves which led me to the top of a waterfall. I may have become one with said waterfall.”

“Everything always happens to you, Griffin.”

“Believe me, I know.”

***

I changed and washed myself as best as I could. Some of the red dye was still in my hair.

I knew Lexa was aware by now that I was missing and I knew that I was going to get the scolding of a lifetime. I went by her room and study, but she wasn’t in either of them. She could be at the training relieving her anger about my disappearance through swords. As I walked toward the training grounds, I heard voices coming from the throne room. No one would be in there unless Lexa was present.

I approached the throne room doors where two guards stood, spears held closest to the entrance. As I got closer, I expected them to deny me entrance, but they snapped to attention and let me pass.

The heavy doors clicked sharply when I pushed them open, hushing the conversation inside. Over a dozen eyes were staring at me, the only exceptions being the few guards posted around the room. Chairs were lining the outside of a clear path that led straight to the throne. The throne was made out of wood. Tree branches extended out in all directions making it look like the throne was simply pulled straight from the roots of a tree. On the throne sat Lexa whose glare I could feel strongest of all. She resonated power that I had never felt. Even if she wasn’t sat upon a throne, anyone would be able to pick her out as the soon to be queen among thousands. Her head was held high and her green eyes were vibrant with anger. As usual, to the untrained eye she looked stoic. On either side of her stood Titus and Indra.

Each person who occupied a chair was looking at me in confusion. One man was standing with his mouth frozen in mid-speech. I’ve never experienced a more awkward moment. It would’ve been very helpful if the guards outside had given me a heads up. Then again, how could I expect anything less than an important meeting when the throne room is in use? I could already hear Raven laughing at me when relay this story to her.

I watched as Lexa took a deep breath through her nose. She shifted her eyes from me to the man standing. “Thank you for your input, Ambassador,” she addressed everyone now. “but we seem have reached a wall. We’ve been going in circles for the last hour. It would be best if this meeting was adjourned. We will pick up tomorrow morning.” 

Her eyes caught mine again as everyone stood up to leave. I moved to the side, out of the doorway, trying to blend into the wall as everyone left. Lexa stayed at her throne looking deep in thought. 

After the last person left, I approached her and she watched me the whole way. I gulped. Titus, Indra, and the guards were still present. 

“Heda,” Titus began.

“Leave us,” Lexa interrupted. 

Indra and the guards began to leave, but Titus stayed put. “Heda,” he tried again.

She looked directly at him. “Leave us.” There was a finality in her voice that left no room for arguing. Titus exited, leaving only Lexa and I in the throne room.

“I can see your morning was just as busy as mine.” I regretted it as soon as I said it. It was my lame attempt at diffusing the tension, but I only increased it.

“Clarke,” Lexa started. I internally cringed, preparing for Lexa’s wrath. “You went behind my back.”

That was the first thing that came to mind when the plan originally popped in my head. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t break my old habits. I’ve been too guarded for far too long. I’ve become so accustomed to secrecy that it was my nature now. 

I knew I should have told her, but I was afraid she would’ve turned me down. I had to do something. I had to get a plan in motion and there was no better time to execute one with the Mountain Men at their weakest.

Lexa sat there with her back straight and her eyes holding betrayal. She patiently waited for me to answer.

“I did.” Disappointment filled my voice. I had nothing else to say, no excuse to spew out. I know what I did could be major set back in the openness we were trying to achieve in our relationship.

“Why?”

“I don’t have a reason other than I’m me.” It was a vague answer but she knew exactly what I meant.

“You’re you.”

“I’m me.”

“Which you are you talking about? Wanheda or Clarke? Because they are no different to me.”

Her words stabbed me directly in the heart. Was she calling a monster? An unregretful murderer? Had I hurt her that much? I looked to the ground and bit down on my tongue to stop the tears that were beginning to fill my eyes. I had endured immense amounts of pain. I have lost friends and family. I had become a reaper and changed back. I have been to hell and back on multiple occasions. I came back from the dead. Rarely had I ever let a tear escape me, but knowing I had upset Lexa instantly drew the reaction from me. It was avoidable too. It was my choice to not tell her and a foolish choice it was. Suddenly there was a gentle hand on my chin lifting my head up. Lexa now stood in front of me. Her eyes had softened some.

“How many times do I have to make it clear that I don’t think Wanheda is a monster?” she asked. “Wanheda and Clarke are not two separate people. They are one person and that person is you. When you physically transform into Wanheda and put that hood and war paint on, you’re still Clarke. You show mercy, you show compassion, your completely selfless. If you keep acting as if Wanheda is a separate entity, you’ll never see who you truly are and how good of a person you are.”

She made sense, but I wasn’t sure if I was ready to take that step yet. How could I accept Wanheda if I couldn’t even get Clarke right? I bit my tongue harder to calm the new wave of tears that threatened to spill.

“You told me you were going to be more open with me and that you fully trusted me. I told you I fully trusted you too. I knew you would have trouble with this adjustment at first. I didn’t expect you to immediately open up. I knew you would fumble and that was okay because no one is perfect. This, however, is on a much larger scale. Planning and executing a mission behind my back is a much more complicated scenario. I have kept your disappearance a secret, but if word was to ever get out that I don’t have control over Wanheda, we’ll have a bigger uproar than we currently do.”

“I was wrong. I know that, but I told you something had to be done. I was too afraid you would’ve said no. Was it stupid? Was it reckless? Did I betray your trust? Yes. Do I regret setting my plan into motion? No, because we have the advantage now. I do regret not telling you, though. I know you understand that I’m still tearing down the walls that I built around me and that I’m not used to politics and the workings of the coalition. I also know that I can’t keep using those as excuses and I can’t keep going behind your back.”

Her green eyes slowly lost their intensity and began to calm down. I felt myself calm with them. 

“They don’t change what I did and I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry. I hate myself for being so weak and not keeping my promise. I’ve failed you over and over again. You said Wanheda and Clarke are one in the same and that I treat them as if they are two. Well, either way I’m bad at being both. You have no reason to forgive me or ever have faith in me again.”

“But I will and I do.”

My eyes widened in surprise.

“I would be a fool to give up on you, Clarke. One of the many differences between you and the average person is that you know when you make a mistake and are willing to admit when your wrong. I never lost faith or trust in you, Clarke. I know that you would never intentionally hurt me. You do what you think you have to in order to protect those you love and always have everyone’s best interests in mind. Just remember that you don’t have to do that alone anymore.”

I couldn’t help myself. I lunged forward and hugged her. I wrapped my arms tightly around her shoulders and buried my head in her neck. She held back just as strong.

“You’re too forgiving and understanding. I don’t deserve you,” I said.

She held me even tighter. “You deserve every bit of me. You just don’t see that yet.”

***

We went back to Lexa’s study to get more comfortable. 

Someone from the kitchen came up bringing tea and cups on a tray. She was setting it down as Lexa and I entered the room.

“What was that meeting about?” I asked.

“It was about you. Those were the ambassadors of each clan. I summoned them to ease their minds about Wanheda.” Lexa shed her jacket, draping it over the back of a chair so she was just in a shirt and pants. “What better way to calm the people than to have their representatives that they elected to trust in me and be more comfortable with Wanheda?”

“How’s convincing them going?”

“A little challenging, but I have a few fully standing behind me and you. Of course, Azgeda is the most opposed. They are opposed to almost anything I do, no matter what it is. Even if I was curing world hunger and poverty they would probably find something bad to say about me.” She dropped herself on the couch and I joined her.

“I really appreciate all the lengths you’re going to get people to be at least somewhat comfortable with me. Thank you.”

She smiled lovingly at me. “Of course. I’m not doing it just for this war, just to make that clear. I want you to have a good home here, if you’ll stay that is.”

A smile broke out on my face. Home. I liked the sound of that. “I’m definitely not opposed to the thought.”

“So, what plan have you devised this time?” Lexa asked, sitting back on the couch with a hot cup of tea.

“What makes you think that I made plan?”

“I know you, Clarke, and Raven isn’t exactly the hardest person to crack. Tell me what trouble you got yourself into this time. Some of your hair is red, which makes me even more curious.”

“Well I was thinking about how the Mountain Men weakened us from the inside not just once, but twice. Then I remembered this story my father once explained. He told me it moments before Cage and the other Mountain Men invaded my home. It was about a man named Hercules who defeated a lion with fur that was impervious to any attack. He killed it by injuring it internally. He choked it to death. I thought ‘why couldn’t we do the same thing?’ We have a very significant advantage over the Mountain Men that we’ve been blind to this whole time.”

Lexa put down her cup and leaned forward, intrigued about where I was going with this.

“We have an army on the inside.” 

“How could we have not thought of this before?” She was deep in thought, her brow furrowed. “But we have no means of communication with them.”

“That’s what I was busy setting up all of this morning.” 

I told her everything that had transpired earlier. I told her how Octavia went inside to prepare everyone for a fight. I was giving her at least four days to set up. In reality, it would probably take a few days longer to get everything together on our side, but giving them a deadline would ensure their readiness. Octavia had a difficult job. She had to gather all the Arkadians that were left, devise a plan and get weapons for everyone if possible. She also had to release the prisoners from the rest of the clans at the right moment when the fighting starts. She has to do all of this while not bringing any suspicion to herself or the others. I had faith in her. She would get the job done. Bellamy was also with her so Skaikru was in good hands. 

Lexa expressed pure exasperation when I came to the part of the waterfall. I left out the near drowning and hallucination part for the sake of her heart.

“Out of all the options you had, you chose to jump off a cliff.”

“All of the options? What options?”

“Clarke, you could’ve outsmarted them in some way or pretended to comply with them and then escaped later. You could’ve fought all of them. I’m sure that you were much more skilled than all of them combined.”

I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t amusing to watch Lexa freak out about my safety. She knew her made up options had a very low chance of success, but then again jumping down a waterfall probably wasn’t any better.

“You are aware that I’m still recovering from broken ribs, right?”

“Even more of a reason to not jump off a cliff.” She crossed her arms stubbornly. “Honestly, what were you thinking?”

“I was thinking that I desperately needed to wash my hair. The berry juice was really starting to irritate my scalp. I didn’t smell the greatest either.” That earned me a slap to my arm. “Ow.”

“I can’t imagine all the things you got into before I was here to keep you in check.”

“You have no idea.”

I then told her how I found Lincoln still lurking close by the cave entrance we originally went in. He thought that I ended up taking the drug and was ready to come find me, fearing the worst. He helped me the rest of the way back to the castle. 

“It’s a very good plan, Clarke. The question is what is our part in this?”

“Honestly haven’t gotten that far yet.”

Lexa pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. “Let me get this straight. You sent Octavia into Mount Weather without having a full proof plan, let alone having any idea of what we are going to do to set their part of the plan in motion.”

“Sounds about right.”

She sighed. “Somehow I’m not surprised.”

“Don’t worry. It’ll all be okay. All we have to do is slave over this for the next few days and then we’ll have a full proof plan.”

“I wish I shared your confidence.”

  
  



	25. Chapter 25

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'd like to take a moment to thank everyone who has been sticking with me on this fic. I really appreciate you all. 
> 
> As of right now, I'm planning on about five more chapters. This one is much less action packed than others, but I hope it's just as entertaining:)

I don’t know how Lexa does it. I don’t understand how she sits through these boring meetings. I am the Commander of Death. I have been close to death multiple times, heck, I’ve died twice, but I have never felt closer to death or more welcoming toward it. I was on the verge of revealing my true identity just to make something interesting happen. 

I stared at Titus’s bald head and wondered how someone's head could be so perfectly polished. The ray of sunlight bouncing off his head would most likely blind me if I stared long enough. Indra was taught the stoicism of a warrior, but she wasn’t fooling me. She looked just as bored if not more bored than me. Maybe I could get her attention and we could plan an escape route. I wonder if she would understand mine and Raven’s sign language. Probably not. Raven and I can’t even understand it ourselves.

My back was beginning to cramp up from sitting for so long. I’ve tried multiple timed to get into a more comfortable position, but there wasn’t one in these hard wooden chairs. I twisted slightly to my right, causing what seemed like every vertebrae in my spine to crack uncomfortably loud. My eyes widened and I froze as the sound bounced off the walls and came back at me. The Trishana Kru ambassador that sat to my right looked at me with judgement in his eyes. I returned back to a neutral position with my eyes still wide. I cleared my throat, trying to flush out the awkwardness that sat in my chest. The Floukru ambassador to my left stifled a laugh. At least someone was being entertained.

I began to relax again only to notice all the specks of dust floating in light shed from the windows behind the throne. Am I breathing all of that it? I squinted my eyes at the air directly in front of me. I couldn’t see anything flying around. I took a deep breath through my nose which proved to be a bad idea. 

I felt a sneeze coming on and I knew that this would be the end of me. I plugged my nose, hoping it would relieve the sensation. I couldn’t hold it in. It was one of the most powerful sneezes I have ever experienced in my life. There had to be a shock wave that followed it. I may have knocked a rib out of place too. 

I realized that the room had gone silent and even worse, all eyes were on me. “What? No bless you?”

Floukru stifled another laugh while everyone else blinked with an unamused expression.

“Bless you, Ambassador,” Lexa said with the smallest hint of a smile. It was gone a second later as she continued the meeting.

I couldn’t help but stare at how the sunlight complimented Lexa on her throne. Was it just me or did Lexa always make sure the sun was behind her? Maybe she just carried a halo with her wherever she went. 

I admired her long fingers that played with a dagger in her lap. One would think that after years of training and sword wielding that her hands would be calloused, but they were the softest I have ever felt. I moved up to the little bit of her exposed collarbone. My eyes trailed up the perfectly smooth tanned skin up her neck and to her lips. I really wanted to kiss her. I really really want to kiss her. 

Then her lips started moving. I think I was too far gone because I swear they were addressing me. The longer I looked, however, the more I realized that she was addressing me.

“Skaikru Ambassador, what is your verdict?”

I realized my chin was in my hand and I had a dopey smile on my face. I instantly shot up and shook my head to clear it. I stared wide eyes at Lexa who was very much aware that I wasn’t paying attention.

“Your verdict. Do you side with Wanheda and I or oppose our alliance?”

I cleared my throat and stood. “Skaikru supports you and Wanheda.” I sat back down.

“Very well. That makes it seven supporting and six opposed. For all those opposed, keep in mind your opposition will not stop this alliance. It will only hinder our success. The more men we have, the stronger we are, and everyone’s support would help our nation find peace again. I understand that working with Wanheda seems like a scary idea, but I can assure you it is what will save all our lives. Meeting adjourned. We’ll have our final meeting tomorrow at the same time.”

The guards opened the throne room doors and everyone moved out except me. I waited for Lexa. She was speaking with Indra who gave her a quick nod of acknowledgement and left the room with a fast pace. Titus was soon to follow.

Lexa joined me in the center of the room. “We need to work on your meeting face.”

We began walking out of the room. “It wasn’t that bad. It was really only the last few minutes.”

“It was more like every minute after the first ten minutes of the meeting.”

“I couldn’t help it,” I said, frustrated. “It was so boring!”

“The meeting was about you.”

“I already know everything about me so I’ve heard it all before.”

“Well what would you have me do next time? Sneeze?” Lexa had an amused smirk on her face. She was enjoying this far too much.

“You and everyone else in that room know that if I didn’t let that one out I would’ve exploded.”

Lexa laughed. It was a beautiful rare sound that was more like music than anything else. I couldn’t help but smile.

As soon as Lexa closed the door to her study, I caught her with a surprise kiss. I sighed into it. I pulled back about an inch. “You have no idea how long I wanted to do that.”

A smile pulled at her lips. “Yes, I do, Clarke. I followed your movement for the whole meeting. It was very obviously painted on your face.”

I deadpanned.

“But I have the better meeting face so what you probably couldn’t tell was that I wanted to kiss you just as bad.” 

She pressed her lips to mine and I got lost in them. My hands gripped her waist while one of hers cupped my jaw and the other was entangled in my hair. My tongue grazed her lips and she parted them granting me access. Her tongue met mine halfway, fighting for dominance. My heart rate was picking up and my whole body felt like it was being set on fire.

Lexa pulled back, her pupils slightly more dilated. My lips still craved contact so I peppered light kisses on her jaw and neck. She gently pushed me back.

“Clarke, we have to be down in the war room in fifteen minutes and we still have to eat.”

“The only thing I’m hungry for is you.” Right on cue, my stomach growled. 

“Your stomach disagrees with you.”

“Traitor.” I untangled myself from Lexa.

“Your stomach is saying the same thing to you right now. We haven’t eaten since early this morning.”

I flopped onto the couch. “I don’t know if I can sit through another meeting.”

“I’m going to need you to be present for this one, Clarke. Our plan will determine our future.”

“I know. I know,” I grumbled, almost devouring an entire sandwich in one bite.

We were mostly silent for the rest of our break, trying to eat as much as we could and recuperate for our next meeting. This upcoming meeting would be much more important. Like Lexa said, it would determine our future, our victory or defeat. Everyone inside Mount Weather would be relying on this plan. Maybe even my father if he was still alive. 

Since that dreadful day when I discovered him on the brink of death, I hadn’t been able to get him out of head. I would push him to the back of mind during the day, knowing that there was nothing I could do to help him right now, but he would resurface at night in my dreams. The only time my nightmares could be tamed was when Lexa was with me, but even then, some would seep through every now and then. Now was my chance to do something about his condition.

I had never told Lexa of my father’s survival. I left that out because it was too painful and too fresh in my mind to bring up. Part of me was still in denial that he has been alive all these years suffering. I have no idea what to do about him. I don’t know if he’s even alive at this point, but I have a feeling he is. The last time I was inside Mount Weather, they were keeping him alive for some reason. He still has a purpose to them.

It was time to head down to our next meeting. Lexa was just reaching for the door when I stopped her by grabbing her wrist. She looked at me with confusion.

“Before we go down, you should know something. I don’t know how much of an impact this will have on strategy, but” I hesitated, trying to collect my running thoughts and memories. “I want you to know that my father is still alive.”

“He’s still alive,” she repeated with curiosity. “In Mount Weather?”

I nodded. “He’s alive, but barely. Cage is keeping him alive for some reason. I don’t know why, but-–”

“We’ll rescue him, Clarke.”

“I don’t even know if it would be possible to get him out of there alive. He was really fragile, almost didn’t even look human.”

“We have to try. No man left behind.” She took my hand. “We’ve lost too much already. It’s time we gained something back.”

***

Lexa had sent out scouts to get a more detailed map of mount weather. We were still waiting for their return. They should be back any day now. For now, we had to go with the current information we had. I only pray that they don’t come back with any bad news, like the Mountain Men are already marching to Polis, ready for war.

We were all standing around a large rectangular table with a map equally as big laying across it. Round chips rested on top, representing each clan and general with their respective symbols. Lexa and I were at the head of the table with Indra on the right of Lexa and the other generals spread out evenly around the table. Titus was standing behind us against the wall, observing.

Only a few clans were donating warriors. Trikru wasn’t the only one to suffer immense loss with the last battle.  Ouskejon Kru, Delfikru, Trishana Kru, and surprisingly Azgeda are willing to spare troops. King Gustus was working on building their relationship with Azgeda after their previous leader, Nia, had betrayed the coalition five years ago by sending an assassin after Lexa. Nia was talented at strategy and was able to evade capture while still plotting against the crown and coalition. She was able to persuade many on her side. Two years later, they captured her and sentenced her to death for treason. Her son, Roan, took her place and has been restoring the nation since. He was actually here today, representing the Azgeda general. He was groomed much more cleanly than the other generals, excluding Indra.

King Gustus had met with Azgeda a few months ago to see where our relationship stood with them while also trying to get them to donate troops. Donating troops is a very big step in the right direction. Roan being present at this war meeting was an even bigger and better step. 

“I’d like to start by thanking all of you for coming and lending your men to this fight,” Lexa began. “Last time did not go as well as we hoped or expected, but this time we will leave no room for failure. I am currently waiting for scouts to return from Mount Weather so we will work with the information we have and adjust accordingly depending on the information they bring back. Now let’s begin.” She leaned forward on the table and pointed to a large red X with a trail leading upwards. “Any X that you see marks a cave entrance that leads to Mount Weather. Their routes are marked all the way to the Mountain.” She retracted her arm. “Last battle we expected them to use the caves as their means of travel, but we were mistaken. They used the trees, meaning they either used an unguarded cave or an alternative entrance that we are unaware of. Their strategy makes me have suspicions that they knew of our plan ahead of time.”

“You’re saying that we have a spy among us,” Indra said.

“It’s a possibility,” Lexa replied.

The Delfikru general leaned on the table and looked intimidatingly at everyone in the room. “How do we know that they aren’t in this room?”

“I guess we’ll have to make a good enough plan which won’t have a chance of failing even if the enemy knows of it. That is how strong this plan has to be,” Lexa said. “The Mountain Men have many tricks up their sleeves. We have to be prepared for anything.”

“We also have tricks up our sleeves,” I said. I looked at Lexa for permission to go on. She nodded at me in approval. “Our people are inside, which means there is more than just the enemy in there. We have friendlies on the inside. They aren’t just people waiting to be saved.” I could feel Lexa’s eyes on me and it made my chest warm. I put it to the back of my mind in order to keep my head in the right place. “They are an army that we can put to use. The Mountain Men have tried taking us down from the inside on multiple occasions. Now it’s our turn to return the favor.”

“And who are you to have the authority to even be in this room?” The Ouskejon Kru general said with a suspicious gaze. He was trying to size me up. “I’ve never seen your face around here until all our men are off getting killed in an ambush in the forest.”

“If Heda allows her here, then I’m sure it’s fine,” Roan said.

The Ouskejon Kru ignored him and continued. “Who is she to stand at the head of the table with Heda? We’ve lived most of our lives on a battlefield and fought our way to the top. Your hands are barely calloused and your face almost as unblemished as when you were fresh from your mother’s womb. How can I put my trust in someone like that?”

“If you don’t have faith in me, then have faith in your Heda and soon to be queen,” I replied coolly.

“That is enough, General,” Lexa said authoritatively. “She has seen much more hardship than you credit her for. She has the required knowledge to be present in this room, in fact she is the most important person in this room. She holds the most information on Mount Weather.”

“And what clan do you originate from? Not many people with your color hair,” the general said, still filled with distrust and hesitation.

“Skaikru,” I replied, not batting an eye. I was done lying about my home.

Shock filled his face. “I’ve heard the rumors of Skaikru’s return, but didn’t know whether to believe them or not.”

“Well believe it now, General. You are looking at one of the few remaining survivors of Skaikru and captive of the Mountain Men,” Lexa said. “Now I ask that you put this aside so that we can continue with our preparations.”

He still looked at me with a slack jaw. “Yes, Heda.” He returned his attention to the map in front of him.

I still felt eyes on me and looked around the room for the source of my discomfort. I locked eyes with Roan. He looked as if he was analyzing me. I could practically see the gears running in his head.

Lexa’s voice broke our stare down. “Clarke, please continue.”

“Yes, Heda,” I spared one last glance at Roan who now had a less intense expression. “We already have an army on the inside. We can use them to attack on the inside while we attack the outside. We can hit them in all directions.”

“But how will we coordinate with them?” the Trishana Kru general asked.

“Heda and I have already taken care of that.” Lexa’s words echoed in my head about executing a mission without Heda’s permission. She can’t look like she doesn’t have control over me. “We’ve sent someone on the inside who was given specific instructions on how to prepare everyone. That side of the plan is already in motion.” I hope Octavia is getting everything done. I also hope that we aren’t acting too late. I can’t help but think back to Bellamy’s note about Jasper. How many more have they advanced on?

“Now we need to figure out the logistics on the outside, assuming both a scenario in which the plan on the inside works and fails,” Lexa said.

“But what if they know of our plans? How do we get past that?” Delfikru asked.

“There is no one in this room that I don’t trust, General,” Lexa tried to ease his concern. “When disseminating information to your men, use discretion. Give them enough information so they know what they are to do, but not enough give away our full plan.”

“Okay, so how do we get into Mount Weather? They certainly won’t come outside.” Indra asked. “The only way we’ve gotten inside is by getting captured. That is not an option for an entire army.”

“Attacking through caves leaves us vulnerable,” I said. “They know them way better than us. It also condenses us, making us easier targets and much easier to kill.”

“We could lure them out,” Trishana said.

“How?” Lexa asked.

“I’m not sure. What would draw them out?” He asked.

“They are targeting Heda and I,” I said. “My blood is valuable to them and they made an attempt on Heda’s life last time she went to Polis Village.”

“We can’t use Heda as bait,” Indra said.

“We can make her appear to be traveling by,” Roan said. “We can have her carriage and guards go by their territory while we all hide and wait to ambush.”

“We can bring their men outside all we want, but what we need is an access and exit route to Mount Weather,” Ouskejon Kru said.

“He’s right,” Lexa said.

For the next two hours we all came up strategies that weren’t good enough. They were all a big risk. None were reliable enough to give us enough confidence to go with it. Our brains were burned out and our momentum came to a halt. Just as we were ready to take a break, a guard entered the room.

“Heda, the scouts have returned.”

“Send them in,” she replied.

The guard bowed and exited. A moment later, Lincoln and another Trikru warrior entered.

“What have you found?” Lexa asked.

Lincoln stepped forward. “We were able to track the caves to Mount Weather above ground after drawing out the cave trails like this map.” He walked over to the map and marked a spot slightly off center of a large hill. “There is an entrance here. It’s not like the entrances in the caves. This door is heavily fortified.”

“With men or weapons?” Indra asked.

“No, nothing that we saw at least. The door is pure metal and very large. It appears to be really thick. There is a mechanism on the front to open it, but naturally it was locked. It didn’t budge even a millimeter.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small notebook. He flipped it open to a drawing of the door he was describing. “Imagine dozens of swords stacked on top of each other and melted into a door several inches thick. That is what we are dealing with.”

“What’s the terrain around it?” Lexa asked.

“Very few trees surround it.” He flipped to the next page which was a drawing of the door from further away, capturing the trees and paths around it. “ The area directly in front of it is clear. Off to the left side there is some slightly higher ground.”

“That can provide us much more defense if we are to find a way to open the door,” Lexa said.

I turned to Lexa. “I can consult with Raven. She’s bound to come up with something. We’ll probably need to see it for ourselves though.”

“I agree that Raven can help. I will consider your request to scout it yourselves,” Lexa said.

“Who is this Raven?” Roan asked.

“A very talented woman of Skaikru,” Lexa replied. “She specializes in many advanced tools and weapons. I have great confidence that she can come up with something to get the door open.”

“Can we spare the time?” Delfikru asked.

“I say we’ll have to either way,” Indra said. “Clearly, the cave entrances have proven to complicate things. They leave us too vulnerable. Too many things can go wrong. We can be killed in bulks by explosions or have the caves collapse on us or trap us. We also don’t know the caves as well they do, but we know the ground more than they do. I think our best chance is above ground.”

Lexa nodded. “I agree. Clarke and Raven of Skaikru will leave at dawn to travel to the mountain’s entrance. You’ll have two days to scout and design something to break the door open. I hate to rush this, but it must be done.”

“Yes, Heda,” I said.

“Until then, we wait and strategize back up plans in case this one fails and a plan for the circumstance that we get the door open,” Lexa said. “This meeting is done for the day. Rest up and prepare yourselves for our next meeting tomorrow.”

Lexa’s shoulders relaxed once everyone left the room. She turned to me. “I’ll meet you in my study. I have to discuss something with Indra.”

“Okay, I’ll be waiting.” I gave her hand a quick squeeze and exited the room.

I only walked a few feet down the hall before I realized someone had fallen in step with me. I gave a quick side glance to see that it was Roan.

“Clarke of Skaikru,” he greeted. “Or should I say Wanheda?” he said the last part lowly.

I stiffened slightly but remained calm. “Why would you address me as Wanheda?” I neither confirmed nor denied his question, really asking what made him come to that conclusion.

“Pretty Skaikru girl who shows up suddenly, but is already working so closely with Heda isn’t too subtle.”

I stopped walking in the empty hallway and faced him. “Well it has fooled everyone else who is unaware of my true identity. No one knows what Wanheda looks like and wouldn’t be expecting them to be hidden in plain sight.”

“I’m not like most people,” he said with an amused grin.

“What good is this information to you?”

“Just provides a little more knowledge about who I am being led by. Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me. Surprisingly, I support Wanheda. I’ve seen savagery first hand by my mother and sister, killing the innocent, obsessed with the power of deciding who lives and who dies. I can identify it, and I don’t see it in you.”

His words brought comfort to me. I am aware of some of Azgeda’s history, knowing that it wasn’t exactly a paradise to live in. Having someone who has seen so much identify me as good made me feel better about myself. It wasn’t just Lexa or my friends telling me that I’m not a monster. It was a stranger whom I only met hours ago and talked to for mere minutes.

“It’s good to know where your loyalty lies,” I said.

“It is and unfortunately Azgeda’s ambassador doesn’t quite agree with me about you so I thought I would take over everything for now. My nation has lacked the perks of the coalition for too long. It’s time we truly rejoined.”

“I’m sure Heda is pleased with that.”

“Yes, well I should be going. I only wanted to let you know that I have your back. It’s best to fight knowing that you can trust your fellow warrior with your life.”

“I couldn’t agree more. I’ll be seeing you, Roan of Azgeda.”

“May we meet again,” he said with a smirk.

I watched him disappear down the hallway, not knowing what to truly think of him. He seemed genuine and according to Lexa, nothing like his mother. I felt like I could trust him, but I was still going to be cautious.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There's probably going to be a bigger break between this chapter and my next update. Finals are coming up and I also want the climax of this story to be updated quickly. I'm going to write the next few chapters in bulk and then post them within days of each other.
> 
> If you want an update on my progress of writing, feel free to message me.

As usual, too many thoughts were running through my head to sleep. I wandered the castle for what seemed like hours until I finally found myself in Lexa’s empty study. I took in the night sky, thinking of my father, thinking of the others who hadn’t seen the sky in too long and perhaps never will again. 

“Clarke,” a gentle voice said behind me.

I turned around and found my breath caught in my throat. Lexa’s hair was free of braids and flowed freely over her shoulder. She wore a thin loose black dress that had a slit going up her leg, exposing her tanned skin. I had seen Lexa vulnerable before. I had witnessed tears run down her face. I’ve seen her angry and stressed. I’ve seen the pain behind her eyes that no one else has had the privilege to see. I’ve seen her devastated, but none of those moments compared to this. She looked so small and normal. No war paint coated her face. No responsibilities were weighing down on her shoulders. She looked so innocent. No one would be able to tell that she lead an entire nation, ended a war, and take down multiple warriors with a hand tied behind her back. It was one of those moments where she was simply just Lexa, but also more than that.

She had a small smile at the corner of her lips. “It’s too early to be up, even from a ruler’s standards.”

“Then what are you doing up, Your Majesty?” I said with a smirk.

She took my hand in her’s. “I couldn’t sleep and I knew that if the thought of our future was keeping me up, it had to be keeping you up too.”

“And now that you found me, what are you planning to do?”

“Get us an hour of sleep before you step off.” She dragged me toward the couch.

“You know, that couch can only be comfortable for so many nights.”

“Then we don’t have to sleep here.” A blush instantly invaded my cheeks, knowing that she was implying her bed.

“No need to blush, Clarke.” She let out a light laugh. “We aren’t going to be doing anything other than sleeping. You have to leave soon and I want you to be well rested.”

I laughed awkwardly. “Right. Of course.” Lexa leaned into me and kissed my cheek. This woman was going to kill me.

She led me down the corridor to her room. It was just as it was last time, probably because Lexa practically lives in her study. They should move her bed in there. The only sign that someone lived in here at all for the last month is the messed up bed and book laying open on a small desk.

We lied down facing each other, only inches apart. A smile grew on Lexa’s face that I couldn’t help but mirror. Her hair was swept behind her and the moonlight lit her up. If I hadn’t seen Lexa bleed, I would’ve thought for sure she was angel. So beautiful.

“Thank you,” Lexa said with a blush.

I felt heat rise to my cheeks once again, realising that I had said that out loud. Whatever awkward recovery was going to tumble out of my mouth was swallowed by Lexa’s lips. I relished the contact and sunk further into her. I encircled my arm around her waist. Her soft hand cupped my face and remained when she pulled back, resting her forehead against mine.

“Being a princess, I have been called beautiful by so many, but it’s different with you.” She kissed me briefly again. “It has a deeper meaning.”

“Everything with you has a deeper meaning.” I kissed her this time.

We didn’t end up falling asleep. We simply enjoyed each other’s presence until I had to get up to prepare to leave. When I exited the castle gates, I had never felt a stronger urge to stay by Lexa’s side. I want so badly for this war to be over. I just want to lay in Lexa’s arms for the rest of my life, not having to worry about mine and my friends life every second of everyday. Maybe someday, I keep telling myself. The thing is, I’ve been telling myself that for years. I can feel that someday getting closer, but at the same time, it’s never been farther.

“You’re a lot quieter than usual,” Raven said, ducking under a branch. 

“I’ve just been stuck in my head more than usual.”

“Want to talk about it?”

“It’s actually not bad stuff for once.”

“Yeah? You thinking about your lady friend?”

I blushed. “You have a way with words that makes people want to hit you.”

“I’m aware, but seriously, she’s that good, huh?”

“Yes, she is.” I couldn’t help the smile creeping up.

“It’s good to see you happy for once. I’m happy for you.”

“Thanks, Raven.” There was a few moments of silence that was filled with the crunching of leaves and sticks beneath our feet as we moved. “What about your lady friend?” I asked. “Didn't peg you for someone who goes after a girl who’s more dominant.”

“Who said she’s the more dominant one?”

“You did, going by the way you’re biting your lip.”

“You know what? I’m not comfortable with this conversation anymore.”

“Oh, I’m the one making you uncomfortable now. That’s the first time –” I was roughly yanked down behind a bush by Raven.

She put her finger to her lips and pointed to our one o’clock. There was a pair of reapers being equally as loud as we were. They stopped by a tree and one of them crouched down. He was fiddling with something, but I couldn’t see through the vegetation. A few seconds later, he stood up, holding a large dead rabbit by its hind feet.

I got Raven’s attention and pointed upward, a hand gesture we could both understand. We climbed the tree next to us to travel over them. We silently transitioned from tree to tree and once we lost sight of them, we paused on a branch.

“We should stay up here,” I said. “There’s no telling how many more are out right now. This is one of the times when they hunt.”

Raven and I continued to use the trees as our means of travel, only seeing one other reaper. We finally dropped down when the trees started to become more scarce at the base of the mountain. 

Raven held her hand up in a halting gesture. “Do you hear that?” Raven asked.

I listened for a few seconds. “Hear what?”

“Exactly.”

My brows furrowed as I listened closer. There was absolutely no sound except for the occasional breeze ruffling the trees. Not a single insect or squirrel could be heard. It was as if the only living things residing here were the trees and plants. It didn’t sound natural. It was eerily quiet.

“I have the chills,” Raven said, squirming and rubbing her arms up and down. “Is it too late to turn around?”

“Woman up. We’ve got a door to bust down.”

When we first saw the top of the door come into view, we hesitated, crouching behind vegetation. 

“How do we know there aren’t any Mountain Men here?” Raven asked.

“We don’t, but if there are, hopefully we’ll be able to hear them first.”

We cautiously made our way to the door. Slowly the ground flattened beneath us and the door fully came into view. The closer we got, the bigger and bigger it became. The arch of the doorway had to be close to twenty feet tall with Mount Weather written in rusted letters across the top of it. The door in the center would have no problem fitting someone with another person on their shoulders. There was a large locking mechanism surrounding a smaller wheel looking handle. This was far stronger than what I imagined.

“That is one industrial door,” Raven said, stepping forward and putting a hand to its cold metal. “Seems like steel. I wonder how thick it is.” She knocked on it. There was no echo, indicating that a room wasn’t close behind it. 

“That doesn’t sound promising,” I said. “Do you think we can get it open?”

“If we can, it’ll take a lot of fire power. It might take all of our fire power. We lost a lot of our supplies in Arkadia.”

“Do you think there’s any other way to get it open?”

Raven took a closer look at the lock, placing her head against the door. She tried to move the wheel, but it didn’t budge even a millimeter. “No wonder they don’t bother to post guards here.” She studied it a moment longer. I could see the gears working in her head.

“Maybe if we target the lock rather than the entire door, it’ll take less firepower to open it. Not that much less, though.” She ran her hands over the lock, looking for weak points. “If we put a charge here and here,” she said, pointing to the two large hinges. “we might be able to do it.”

I pulled out a notebook and began to sketch the door in detail. “If the lock does break, we’re going to need some man power to pull that thing open. That will not be easy to move.”

“Have you seen Heda’s army? Their arms are the size of my torso. I think we’ll be fine in that department.”

“If you’re done, we should get moving. Everyone is waiting on us.”

The walk back down the mountain was uncomfortable. It was so silent that either of us were afraid to break it. Once we heard the rustling of animals and the distant sound of cicadas, we both released a relieved breath. 

Most of the journey was uneventful. We stopped once or twice to rest and eat. When we started getting closer to the cave entrances, more movement could be heard. It wasn’t the sound of a squirrel or deer moving through the leaves. It sounded much heavier and more frantic, like something was running from someone or something. 

Raven and I took the trees once again and waited patiently for whatever it was to pass through. Minutes past with nothing coming into view. The footsteps sounded like they were going in circles around us. That made me tense up, thinking it could be a reaper or multiple reapers surrounding us. Raven seemed to be thinking the same thing. She pulled out a dagger and I did the same.

I held on tight to its handle. The steps were getting louder, coming from our left. I could see a figure running through the trees and pointed them out to Raven. I made myself ready to pounce as they came closer, but stopped and felt my breath rush out of my lungs. I could make out the figure now. 

“Is that…” Raven started.

“Monty,” I finished.

We dropped from the tree in front of him, almost giving him a heart attack. He yelled and stumbled back onto his rear. 

“Clarke! Raven!” He lunged forward, pulling us into a hug. His breathing was erratic. He pulled back, still holding onto our arms. “We have to hurry. They’re looking for me. I barely made it out and I’m so disoriented.” 

He suddenly fell to his knee, clutching his leg. “My adrenaline is wearing off.” Blood was trailing over his hands.

“Okay. We need to move,” I said. I pulled him up and put his arm around my shoulder. Raven did the same to his otherside. 

We hustled through the forest as fast as we could. We weren’t sure if anyone was following us, but we didn’t want to take the chance. We continued to move quickly all the way to the main road that led straight to the castle. 

“Guys I need to rest for a moment,” Monty said in pain.

“Okay. Let’s find some concealment,” I said.

We maneuvered through some denser vegetation to hide us. Monty let out a groaned as we gently set him down. Raven and I sat across from him.

“What the hell happened, Monty?” Raven asked.

“I don’t know. One day we were all fine and being taken care of. Then the next day Jasper was missing and returned a few days later so drained that he was barely able to move.”

“They drained his blood,” I said,

“It was more than that. He had a small incision just below his collarbone. I don’t know what they did to him. He didn’t have any recollection.” Monty had desperation in his voice, like he was helpless to change anything about this situation. “Then more started disappearing and some never came back. A few days ago, it was my turn.”

“Your turn?” Raven asked.

His eyes became distant. “They took me to their medical wing and prepped me. They did things much worse than drain my blood.”

“What did they do, Monty?” I asked, feeling my stomach sink.

“I was strapped to a table and…” He took a shaky breath, gripping his leg harder so that his knuckles turned white. “They extracted blood from inside my bone. They cut straight into my leg with nothing to numb the pain. They were going to take more, but luckily there was a medical emergency for one of their people. That’s when I took the opportunity to escape.”

I wove my hands through my hair, trying to take in this new information. “How many have they done this to?”

“Five. They don’t show any signs of slowing down.”

“And things just became even more rushed,” Raven said, getting to her feet.

“We need to go. Nyko needs to fix your leg and the longer we’re out here, the better your chances of an infection.” I helped Monty up and Raven and I took our places on either side of him. “The faster we get back, the sooner we’ll be busting down Mount Weather’s door.”

As soon as we were spotted at the gates, guards were rushing to get the gate open and horses were brought to us to travel up to the castle. A guard sped ahead of us to inform Lexa of our arrival. Monty was very confused why we were at the royal castle. I promised to explain everything later.

When we reached the castle entrance, guards were already there to help. Some went to take the horses away, while one opened the castle door. Raven and I were instantly by his side. As we were making our way up the stairs to the door, Lexa came rushing out. 

“Woah. That’s the princess, Clarke. That’s the princess.” Monty’s eyes were wide.

“Has Nyko been informed?” I asked Lexa.

“Yes, he’s preparing a bed now,” she said with slight panic in her voice that only I could pick up on.

Raven and I let go of Monty when the guards brought over a stretcher. He laid on it and the guards hoisted him up.

“We’ll meet you up there, Monty.” I said.

“If only Jackson provided this king of treatment.” They took him away to the medical wing.

Lexa had been stuck to my side the whole time and I finally turned to her. 

“Are you both okay?” She asked.

“We’re fine,” I said. “We had no trouble. Monty was a sort of pleasant surprise on our way back.”

Her shoulders subtly relaxed. “Come. We’ll talk in my study.”

Upon entering the study, Raven immediately went to the large windows that took up the back wall. “Woah, you got quite the view, your highness.”

“Focus, Raven,” I said.

“I’ll get straight to the point,” Lexa said, hands clasped behind her back. “Can you get the door open?”

“Not entirely sure. I think I have a good idea on its structural weakness. I also know that it will take a lot of blasting power. It will take up most of our supplies so we’ll be vulnerable in our boom department.”

“That’s a risk I’m willing to take,” Lexa said, pondering the new information. “It’s worth a shot. It’s the best chance we have.”

“And if it doesn’t work?” I asked.

“It has to. Raven, start preparing the explosives.”

“Aye, Aye, captain. Clarke, let’s check on Monty before we head out.”

I nodded in agreement. “We’re heading down to the shop to work on the explosives. As soon as they’re finished we’ll come back,” I told Lexa.

She gave me a single nod in acknowledgement. I went to leave with Raven, but stopped when she softly said my name. 

“I’ll meet you in the med wing,” I told Raven. She nodded and left, but not without wiggling her eyebrows seductively at me. I internally rolled my eyes.

“We could use you here, Clarke,” Lexa said with hope in her voice.

“I know, but two sets of hands is better than one. We need to move as fast and efficiently as possible. The stakes have changed. Monty revealed that Skaikru is being tortured and killed one by one.” I paused for a moment. “I trust that you’ll come up with a good plan.”

Her jaw clenched and she nodded silently in understanding.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“Nothing, other than war. Just increasing stress as the battle gets closer.”

I nodded in understanding.

“Be careful, Clarke. They can probably feel that a battle is brewing.”

My lips upturned slightly. “I always am.”

Lexa gave me a skeptical look. “If you say so.”

I stepped closer to her. “I do say so.”

She stepped closer as well and gently took my arm in her hand. “Would you like me to list all the times that you’ve proven yourself wrong?”

I pretended to ponder her question. “I don’t think that’s necessary.” I took her perfectly sculpted jaw in my hands and pressed a kiss to her lips. She slowly leaned more and more into me. The kiss was slow and sweet. I savored the feeling, knowing I would be deprived of her lips for the next few hours. She was the one light in this sea of darkness and I was going to take advantage of that as much as I could.

She pulled back and rested her forehead on mine. “I shouldn’t hold you up any longer. You need to go.”

“I think Raven can wait a little longer.” I leaned in for another kiss, but Lexa held me back. 

“Clarke,” she said in a playful warning tone.

“Alright, alright.” I stepped back. “That was very rude to deny my kiss, though.”

She rolled her eyes and kissed me one last time. “Now go,” she said with a smile.

“Okay. I’ll see you soon. Talk to Monty about Mount Weather. He has a lot of intel.”

“I will.”

“May we meet again.”

“May we meet again”

***

Monty looked much better. His skin looked a much healthier color. He said they are prepared in Mount Weather. Octavia and few others have been slipping weapons into their room and hiding them. They’ve done their best to map out as much of Mount Weather as possible. They know the guard rotations and even some of the times when they harvest blood. All I can hope for is that there aren’t anymore surprises.

When we got to the shop, Raven immediately started pulling out the last of the supplies remaining to make explosives. Then she pulled out a piece of paper and began writing. When she was finished she handed it to me and began explaining it.

“Follow those instructions step by step. If any measurement is off or they aren’t done in the right order, they may malfunction. We’ll make two big bombs and we’ll see what materials we have left and go from there.”

We began building, measuring every down to the grain of the explosive powder. I prayed that this would work.

  
  



End file.
